


Cursed

by seaunicorn



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Quidditch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-18 14:43:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12390192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaunicorn/pseuds/seaunicorn
Summary: Alex’s sixth year at Hogwarts is thrown for a loop when her father Jeremiah is killed that summer.  It seems the only thing that makes her feel normal anymore is her newfound friendship with longtime quidditch rival (and Hufflepuff’s new team captain) Maggie Sawyer.





	Cursed

**Author's Note:**

> Oh man this has been a wild ride. Written for Sanvers big bang challenge. Minimum word count was 10k. When I realized the plot was getting out of control I was aiming for 15k. Ended up around 26k so I bit off way more than I anticipated, but that always happens when I try to write Hogwarts AUs. Worth every minute.
> 
> Enjoy these nerds. Write more fic because anything is better than the show right now. Sanvers forever.

_“Eliza, just go! Take the girls and get out of here!_ ”

_“I’m not leaving you—“_

_“PLEASE, JUST GO NOW!”_

_Alex felt her mother’s hand squeeze her own, as if her life depended on it.  “Dad?” Alex asked.  Her lungs filled with a thick smoke that choked her as soon as she opened her mouth.  She sputtered out a cough._

_“I love you, kid.”_

_“Alex, Kara,” Eliza muttered, “hold on tight.”_

_Another spell hit, and the front door flew off the hinges, silhouetting the figure there.  A wand was raised, pointed at the family.  “_ Avada Kedavra! _”_

_“DAD!”_

_A bright green light erupted from the tip of the wand, and then the world disappeared.  Alex felt the most uncomfortable lurch in her stomach, as if a hook wrapped around her intestines and was trying to tug them out of her body.  The world was black and spinning, and she couldn’t feel anything but her mother’s hand squeezing her own._

The funeral was the same day that Alex received the results of her O.W.L.s.

Each Outstanding she received was like a punch to the gut, because her father was no longer there to tell her how proud he is. She should have gotten a firm pat on the shoulder from her mom, and a high five from her dad. They would have gone out for a celebratory dinner that night, and maybe, at the trip to Diagon Alley next week, she could have finally gotten her very own owl.

Instead, the results of Alex’s O.W.L.s fell to the floor of her cluttered bedroom, discarded and forgotten, as she rummaged through her closet for a black dress.

All Alex remembered that day was stepping out of the car and seeing the sun shining.  Typically, at a funeral in the movies, there’s dark stormy clouds, raindrops falling, as if the sky is just as sad as the guests. The blistering heat, however, was somehow more fitting. It wasn’t a warm hug from the sun and a gentle breeze. It scorched and stung, like someone up above was pouring salt in her wounds and laughing.

Alex found it rather fitting, at least.

Her mother held her hand, and Alex let her.  Not because she needed the support, but because she was too tired to pull away.

Kara also took Jeremiah’s death pretty hard. She didn't speak at all until that night, after the funeral.

Well after midnight, there was a knock on Alex’s bedroom door. It opened to reveal Kara, sleepy eyed, clutching a stuffed hippogriff to her chest.

“Can't sleep?” Alex asked. Kara shook her head. It's not like Alex was asleep either. With a heavy sigh, she pulled back the covers and scooted over, making room for Kara in her twin bed. Alex never wanted to be a sister, but she found herself falling into the role, and god knows if anything were to ever happen to Kara, there would be hell to pay.

Alex closed her eyes as Kara settled in, willing herself to sleep away the pain.

“Alex?” Kara muttered after she had been settled for some time.

Alex wrenched open an eye to look at Kara’s sad eyes. “Yeah?”

“I'm sorry I got your dad killed,” Kara sniffled.

Alex's brow furrowed in confusion. “You think that...oh, no sweetie. It's not your fault.”

Kara curled around her stuffed hippogriff, clutching tightly, and ducked her head under Alex’s chin to hide the tears. “If I had never come here, if--if you hadn't taken me in, he--he wouldn't have--”

“Kara, if you hadn't come here, you would probably be dead too. It's ok, it's not your fault.” She wrapped her arms around her sister's smaller frame and hugged her tightly. “It's not your fault.”

The night before they returned to Hogwarts, while their mother was at work, Alex searched through her parents’ room.  All of her dad’s things were still there, out in the open, clothes hanging in the closet, watch on the dresser, as if he would walk through the door at any second.  She gulped, and stepped further into the room, one thing on her mind.

She searched through his sock drawer, under the bed, all his cloak pockets, but found nothing.

A small box on the top shelf of the closet caught her eye.  She stood on her tip toes and stretched out her arms, but the box was just out of reach.  Alex checked her watch, noting that her mom would be getting home pretty soon, so she needed to hurry.  She drew her wand from her back pocket and muttered, “ _Accio_.”  The box slipped off the shelf and into her arms with ease.

The click of the lock at the front door told Alex that her mother was arriving home from work.

Alex hoped she had the right box and quickly ran out of the bedroom into her own room, shutting the door behind her.

She sat on her bed, cross-legged, and set the box in front of her.  Hesitantly, she opened it.

The first thing she saw was a photograph.  Alex reached into the box and grabbed it.  A photo of herself and Kara looked back at her, from their trip to the beach two and a half years ago.  It had been their first family outing with Kara.  Alex had received a word from her dad before they left; she had been rather distant and cold ever since Kara came to live with them, but he wanted her to be more welcoming.  This was Kara’s home now too.

Reluctantly, Alex put on a smile and played nice with Kara the whole day.  She even shared her cookies.  Everything was going great until Kara was swarmed by seagulls trying to get her cookies.

Thinking fast, Alex grabbed her dad’s wand from where he left it on the blanket, and said the first spell that came to her mind.  “ _Rictusempra_!”

Alex wasn’t sure what she had been trying to accomplish by tickling the gulls, but hey, she was thirteen and didn’t know a lot of spells. Give her a break.

Regardless, it worked.  The gull that it hit started twitching uncontrollably and it ended up freaking out the other birds and they flew away.  Jeremiah snapped a picture as Kara ran across the beach to hug Alex tightly, tears in her eyes.

Alex brushed the dust off the photograph, watching herself laugh as Kara spun her around in a hug.  A small smile came to her lips.  She was going to keep this picture.

Beneath that, was what she had been looking for.  Alex pulled the old mirror out of the box and set it on her bed.  From her own bedside table drawer, she retrieved an identical mirror.

Her dad had given her one piece of his two-way mirror set the night before she left for her first year at Hogwarts, so they would always have a way to communicate.  Alex was not ashamed to admit she used it nearly every night for the entire first year.  She would wait until the other Slytherins had gone to bed, then would slip out into the common room.  Her dad would scold her for being up so late, but he would still talk to her for a while, always asked how her day was, about her friends, her classes, her professors.  And now, Alex would give one half of this set to Kara.

Sometimes, the Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms seemed very far apart.

There was something else inside the box, though.  A soft, think, silky material with an intricate pattern.  She pulled it out of the box.  “A cloak?” she muttered.

There was a knock on the door, and faster than McGonagall can find students skipping class, Alex shoved the mirrors under her pillow and knocked the rest of the stuff off her bed, to the side not facing the door, before it opened and Kara came in.

“Dinner’s ready,” Kara said.  “Eliza asked me to come get you.”

“Thanks Kara,” Alex smiled.  “Hey, come here for a sec.  And close the door.”

Kara obeyed, and climbed onto the bed next to Alex.  “What’s up?”

“I have something for you.”  Alex turned around and brought the mirrors out from under her pillow, displaying them for Kara to see.  “It’s a two-way mirror,” she said, offering one up to Kara.  “That one is magically connected to this one here.”  She held up the one in her hands.  “Kara, look.”

Kara looked down into the mirror that Alex had just handed her and her eyes grew in surprise when she saw Alex’s face staring back at her.  “Holy mother of Merlin!” Kara exclaimed.  “Wow!”

“I’ll always have mine on me,” Alex explained.  “So if you ever need me, I’m there.  All you have to do is say my name to activate it.”

Kara’s lips tightened into a pout, and she climbed across the bed and threw her arms around Alex, pulling her into a warm hug.  Tears spilled into Alex’s shoulder.  “Thank you.”

Alex just chuckled and hugged back tightly.  “What are sisters for, huh?”

On September first, Alex awoke at eight o’clock in the morning to a rapping at her door.  “Come in,” she yawned.

Her mother opened the door a crack.  “Morning, sweetie,” she said.  “How are you feeling?”

Alex shrugged.  “Tired.”

“Ready to get back to school?”

“I guess.”

An awkward beat of silence followed.  Alex knew she was acting weird; she was usually out of bed no later than six on September first, so excited to get back to Hogwarts, and insisted that they get to King’s Cross at least an hour early.  Today, she was unenthusiastic.

“I know something that might make you feel better,” Eliza smiled.  “I know it’s been a tough summer, for all of us, but we never got to celebrate you passing your O.W.L.s, and, well…”

“Mom?”

“Oh, I’ll just show you,” Eliza grinned and opened the door fully to reveal a beautiful horned owl, sleeping peacefully, with brown and black feathers that perfectly accented his handsome visage.

Alex immediately sat up in bed.  “Is that…is—me?” she stuttered out.

“He’s all yours,” Eliza said.  “I snuck out to Diagon Alley last night to get him for you.”

Alex squealed and leaped out of bed to hug her mother.  “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“What are you going to name him, sweetie?”

Alex took the cage from her mother’s hand to get a closer look.  The owl seemed to sense the presence of his new owner, and he slowly opened one eye and gazed at Alex.  He looked her up and down and cooed in approval, before closing his eyes and dozing off again.  “I’m going to name him Jerry,” Alex said.  “After dad.”

Alex felt her eyes burning with tears.  An owl was obviously no replacement for her father, but it had been his idea to celebrate successful O.W.L.s with an actual owl, and it could be another small thing to help Alex keep his memory alive.

Eliza wiped a few tears from her cheeks.  “It’s perfect.”

From the moment Alex stepped onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters, it was as though the world around her was moving in slow motion, and she couldn’t get out of it.  She felt everyone’s eyes on her, sympathetic looks from strangers, whispers and odd glances.  Alex stopped in her tracks, breath shallow as she felt a thousand pairs of eyes watching her.  Kara had already run ahead when she saw her friends Winn and Lena.  Her mother was helping get their suitcases onto the train.  Alex was alone, trying to breathe, trying not to cry, frozen in the middle of the platform.

An arm around her waist tugged her out of the moment, and suddenly the world was at full speed again.  “Let’s get you out of here, babe.  I’ve got a compartment in the back with your name on it.”

Alex glanced down at her side, relieved to find her best friend Lucy dragging her onto the Hogwarts Express.  “Thank you,” Alex sighed.

“You okay?” Lucy asked.

Alex nodded.  “I am now.  I just needed to get out of there.”

“I know.”

The worst part about her dad being renowned auror Jeremiah Danvers was that _everyone_ knew about his death.  There was no hope of having a normal school year when the entire student body and faculty read her father’s obituary in the Daily Prophet.  It would be ridden with sympathy marks from professors, or extensions when she doesn’t deserve them, with people trying to be her friend because they _feel bad_.

Alex didn’t want or need anyone’s sympathy.  She just wanted her dad back.

Lucy was about to whisk her into a compartment when a perky voice caught her ear.

“Danvers!”

Alex spun around to find Maggie Sawyer, grinning at her as though Alex had just told a funny joke.  “Maggie, hey,” Alex said quietly.  She liked Maggie well enough, but was definitely not in the mood to be around other people right now, and Lucy seemed to be the only person who understood that.

“Hope you’re ready to get your ass kicked at quidditch this year.”

The blunt force of Maggie’s words caught Alex off guard, that all she could do was laugh.  “What are you talking about?”

“Guess who’s just been made Hufflepuff captain?”

Alex’s eyes widened in surprise.  “No way,” she mutters, with an amused smirk and shake of her head.  “Who in Merlin’s name thought it would be a good idea to make you captain?”

“The whole team, apparently,” Maggie bragged with a shrug.  “Vote was unanimous.”

“Well congratulations,” Alex said, genuinely happy for the girl.  Sure, they butted heads on the pitch, but Maggie was actually pretty nice everywhere else, and she didn’t let the competition get to her head all the time.

“Get ready to kiss that cup goodbye, because Hufflepuff’s out for blood this year.”

“What are you guys gonna do?  Befriend us to defeat?”

“Just watch your back, Danvers,” Maggie joked.  “See you around.”

Alex waved as Maggie disappeared into her own compartment.  “See you.”

She turned back to Lucy who had a concerned smile on her face.  It wasn’t until then that Alex realized it was the first time in weeks that she had a normal conversation, something that didn’t revolve around her father’s death.  Alex retreated into their compartment, grateful for some peace with Lucy before she had to run off to join the other prefects and patrol.  She still thought of Maggie, though, and how maybe a bit of rivalry was the normalcy she so desperately needed now.

Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad year after all.

The ride to Hogwarts was long, as usual, but it seemed to pass by in a blur.  Alex caught up with Lucy, whom she had only seen very briefly over the summer at her father’s funeral.  Lucy’s dad was also an auror, and had been close with Jeremiah.

“I do have someone I’d like you to meet,” Lucy said.  She looked outside the compartment to see if anyone was looking, and when she was sure the coast was clear, she opened her robes to reveal a small, black kitten that meowed softly.

Alex’s eyes widened.  “Holy Hufflepuff,” she murmured.  “You got a cat?!”

Lucy grinned and nodded.  “His name is Salem.”

“He’s adorable!” Alex exclaimed.

“For now,” Lucy warned.  “He’s going to grow into a ferocious feline.”

Alex laughed.  “I’m sure he is.”  She checked her watch quickly.  “Shit, I’m late.” She jumped off her seat.  “I have to check in with the other prefects really quick.  I’ll be back in like ten minutes.”

“No patrol this year?” Lucy asked.

“Nah, that’s just for first time prefects, thank god.”  Alex slid the compartment door open and stepped out.  “See you in a bit.”

Alex did not, in fact, see Lucy _in a bit_ , as Head Boy, James Olsen roped her into helping train some of the newbies.  Alex didn’t get a break until they arrived at Hogsmeade Station.  She made sure all the new prefects knew where to go and what to do, when meetings were, who to check in with, everything she could possibly think of.

There was one boy, the new Gryffindor prefect, and Alex knew he talked about her with his friends every time she turned her back, as if she couldn’t hear.  He sneered about her “dead dad” and wondered “how she could be acting so normal about this”.  Alex clenched her fist, but shrugged it off.  She knew people would talk.  She was above letting any of that affect her.

“And the other kid, Kara,” Mon El muttered in the loudest whisper imaginable, as though he wasn’t even trying to conceal his voice.  “This is the second dad she’s got killed.  You’d think she’s cursed or something!”

Even Alex has a line, and Mon El had just crossed it.

She spun around and pushed him up against the side of the train, her steely glare enough to make him wet his pants.  “What did you just say about my sister?”

“Lighten up, I was only joking!”

“Yeah, everybody’s laughing, it was hysterical,” Alex sneered.

“Alex,” James said cautiously.

“Yeah, Alex, back off,” Mon El frowned.  “I’ll leave you and your stupid sister alone.”

Alex straightened up, and put on a fake smile.  She took a step back, and as soon as Mon El relaxed, she decked him in the nose.

He yelped in pain.

“Yeah,” Alex said.  “You will leave us alone.”

“Alex!” James commanded.  He grabbed her by the arm and led her off to the side.  “I know you’re upset right now, but that can’t happen again.  You’re a prefect.”

“I know,” Alex sighed.  “You don’t have to report me to McGonagall, I—I don’t know what came over me.”

“Hey, I get it,” James said.  “You have no idea how many fights I picked at school when my dad was killed by a death eater.  I was so _mad_ and I couldn’t do anything.”

Alex nodded; it was as though James knew exactly how she felt.  Well, he did, in a way.  “I know.”

“If you need to talk, you know where to find me,” James said.  “Just… take a minute, cool off.  I’ll take care of this idiot,” he gestured to Mon El.

“Thanks, James.”

James stepped away and gave her a nod.  “See you, Alex.  Tell Kara I said hi.”

Alex took a breath as she watched the boys disappear toward the carriages.  She watched their ride disappear around the bend, giving herself time to calm down, before she went to board her own.

By now, there was only one carriage left, with only a couple other stragglers like herself.  Alex walked up to the side to climb aboard, and was not startled by the new sight of the skeletal black horse drawing the carriage.  Of course, she _knew_ what thestrals were, and what they did, and how you could see them.

This was the first time she had seen one.

She pursed her lips, and blinked back the tears that came to her eyes.  _Not now_ , she thought, and climbed aboard.

Surprisingly, the only other person in the carriage was Maggie.

“Can you see them now?” was all she asked.

Alex didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded.

“I’m sorry,” Maggie said, and turned her head back down to her book.

Alex inched forward and tentatively sat down across from her.  “Can you see them?” she inquired.

Maggie closed her book and gave a small smile.  “No,” she said.  “I’m one of the lucky ones.”

Alex just nodded, a grim look in her eyes.  The carriage lurched forward as it started its trek toward the castle.

“Hey,” Maggie started, and leaned forward.  “I’m sorry if I came off as abrasive earlier.  I didn’t forget, I just—I hadn’t seen you in a while, and—“

“It’s fine, Maggie,” Alex chuckled.  “It was a breath of fresh air, honestly.  I can’t take people treating me like I’m so fragile.”

Alex felt a throb of pain in her knuckles.  She stretched out her fingers, but felt a jolt of pain run through them and winced.  She glanced down at her right hand and noticed the dried blood covering the bruises that were beginning to form against her skin.

“Oh my god, Alex,” Maggie gasped.  “What happened?”

“You should see the other guy,” Alex joked.

Maggie perked up.  “Wait, did you punch Mon El?”

“How did you…?”

“Everyone saw his bloody nose.”

Alex shrugged.  “He had it coming.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Maggie laughed.  “He’s had it coming for a while, but save that aggression for the pitch.  You’re gonna need all the help you can get.”

“You’re very confident,” Alex said.  “I can’t wait until we cream you guys.”

“Do you have a new captain yet?”

Alex shook her head.  “We were going to take a vote at the first practice tomorrow.  But it’ll probably be Lucy.  She’s been gunning for this since we were ten.”

Maggie nodded in approval.  “A worthy opponent.”

“The worthiest,” Alex agreed.  “What classes are you taking this year?”

“All the ones that’ll make me an auror. Potions, transfiguration, et cetera.  Oh, and Care of Magical Creatures.  It’s too much fun to pass up.”

“You want to be an auror?” Alex asked.

Maggie nodded.  “Yeah,” she said.  “Ever since I came here, people would tell me that I couldn’t do this, or I couldn’t do that, because I’m muggle-born, but I don’t want to let anyone tell me what to do, and I want to do good, and help people who can’t help themselves, and catch the bad guys.”

Maggie looked away, and fidgeted with the hem of her blouse.  Alex realized that this was something very personal, that she didn’t often share with people.  She just chuckled.  “Man, you are such a Hufflepuff.”

Maggie looked at her incredulously.  “Shut up,” she said, but laughed nonetheless.

The carriage jerked to a stop outside the castle.

They climbed out, and gazed up at the massive castle before them, the stars in the sky and the moon cast a soft light on the ground.  They headed inside and slowly heard the sound of chattering teenagers build up until they stood outside the Great Hall.

“See you around, Danvers,” Maggie said with a wave, and took off to the Hufflepuff table.  Alex followed inside to the opposite side of the Great Hall to find where Lucy was seated, but her eyes followed Maggie for a moment.  Maggie sat at the Hufflepuff table and was immediately enveloped in a hug from… Kara? When did they become friends?

“Danvers, where the hell have you been?” Lucy grabbed Alex by the sleeve of her robe and sat her down on the bench.  “You missed the Sorting Hat song! I swear to Merlin he was high when he wrote it this year or something, it was hilarious…. Can the sorting hat even get high?”  Lucy noticed Alex’s slightly disheveled appearance and bloodied knuckles and cut herself off. “Why are you covered in blood?”

“It’s not my blood,” Alex sighed. Lucy quirked an eyebrow at her so she continued. "Mon El was making fun of Kara.”

Lucy snorted.  “Dude deserved it.” She punched Alex in the arm.  “Just don’t get detention, I can’t have you missing any quidditch this year.”

“Yes sir.”

Alex grabbed a drumstick and took a bite, hungry from her long day.  She took another bite and reached for a second piece of chicken, but the food on platters disappeared before her eyes and was replaced with an array of desserts.  “Aw,” Alex pouted.  She had missed all of dinner.

Lucy rolled her eyes.  “Here,” she said, and pushed her unfinished plate of food in front of Alex.  “Leaves me more room for dessert!” She rubbed her hands together and dove in for a slice of chocolate cheesecake.  Alex laughed.

She had missed being at school, with her friends, learning magic and playing quidditch.  It was a welcome distraction that she needed after weeks of mourning.  She wanted to feel happy again, to feel normal again, and going back to Hogwarts seemed to be the perfect cure for that.

Later that night, when the other sixth year Slytherin girls had already fallen asleep, resting up for their first day of classes, Alex let herself cry for the first time that day.  She missed her dad, she missed her mom, she missed her sister, and he felt like she never had a moment to stop and think the whole day.

“Alex,” Came a soft whisper.  “Alex looked around, but everyone was still fast asleep.  “Psst, Alex.”

Alex lit up when she realized that the sound was coming from under her pillow.  She reached underneath her head for the two-way mirror she had stashed there, and found Kara’s face lookingback at her.

“Hey sis,” Alex mumbled, sniffling, and blinking away her tears.  She didn’t want Kara to know that she had been crying.  “What’s up?”

Kara shrugged.  “I miss you.”  Her small voice sounded sad and distant.

Alex frowned.  “I’m right here, silly.”

“And I miss Jeremiah,” Kara sniffled; it appeared that she was crying as well.

“I know,” Alex muttered.  “Me too.”

Kara cried silently while Alex wondered what she could do.  “Hey,” she said finally.  “How are Winn and Lena? Was it good to see them again?”

Kara perked up a little at that.  “Yeah, but Lena is having a hard time because Lex is still on the run and they still don’t know how he broke out and her mom is stressing her out. She just gets nervous.  And people keep bullying her and it sucks.  Some kid on the train tried to jinx her!”

Alex glared.  “Next time someone does that, tell them your sister’s a prefect and that she’ll give them detention.  Or just call me over so I can intimidate them in person.”  Kara giggled.  “I’m sorry about that.”  Kara just shrugged, somber.  “What about Winn?”

Kara perked up again with a small smile.  “He doesn’t usually like summers, but this year his foster parents signed him up for some muggle camping experience where you stay in the forest with no adults and learn survival skills or something.  I don’t know why they need to know these mundane methods of knot tying or finding water, like, we have wands!  It sounded really weird, but he says he had fun.”

“Do you mean summer camp?” Alex inquired.

“Yeah, summer camp!”

Alex had learned the term in her muggle studies class third year.

“Anyway, he met this girl and they hung out a lot apparently. She was a muggle. Have you ever had a muggle friend? I don’t think I have…”

Kara talked and talked until she dozed off about ten minutes later, and Alex followed suit shortly after, content and exhausted.

 

 

The first week of classes was a blur.  Alex, and all the other sixth years, really, needed some time to adjust to their new N.E.W.T. level courses.  Things were more fast-paced, there was more information, and it was definitely more challenging.  Alex struggled more than she would like to admit.

Maybe she was in over her head, maybe she was just struggling to adjust after the events of the past summer, or maybe she just wasn’t as smart as she thought she was.  Whatever the case, this school year was kicking her ass, and it was only the second week.

Transfiguration was always hard, and McGonagall was a tough grader, so that did not catch Alex off-guard as much as the other classes.  Potions was brutal, Arithmancy was a tiny N.E.W.T. level class, so Professor Vector was even tougher on them.  At least she had Maggie to commiserate with, as they both were two of the brave (or stupid) few who decided to continue.  Charms and Herbology were usually fairly simple and straightforward, but Alex still felt like she was constantly playing catch up.  Even Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was usually her best class, Alex could not get a grip on.

When Professor J’onzz handed back their first papers of the year at the end of class, Alex saw the shiny red A written on the front and frowned.  Students took their parchment and left class, chatting about grades.  Lucy tried waiting up for Alex, but she shook her head.  “I’ll catch up with you later.”

She watched Lucy walk out of the room, and caught eyes with Maggie as well, who offered her a small smile and wave.  When the room cleared out, Alex walked up to the front of the room where Professor J’onzz stood with his back turned, erasing the board after the day’s lesson.

She cleared her throat, but he didn’t turn around.  “Acceptable?” she asked.  “Really, J’onn?”

He sighed and turned around.  “Alex, I know things are hard for you right now, and I know these lessons are more advanced, but I know that you know this material.”  Alex frowned, but he continued.  “It’s my job as your teacher to challenge you to do your best.  You’re the only one who was successfully able produce a full-body patronus in the first lesson, which is impressive, but your paper on dementors was weak.”

“It’s not going to matter how much information I can spout out in the real world!”

“Alex—“

“Knowing that dementors don’t have eyes, or that they suck light and happiness from the air isn’t going to save anybody!”

“ALEX,” J’onn cut her off.  “That’s enough.”

Alex sighed, and slouched into a chair in the front row.  She threw her head into her hands and shook her head.  “Sorry.”

“I miss him too, you know,” J’onn said.  He kneeled down next to Alex and placed a hand on her shoulder.  “Jeremiah saved my life more times than I can count, when we were on the force together.  He got me this job when I was injured, and couldn’t continue working as an auror.  You know how much he means to me.”

Alex sobbed into her hands, embarrassed, and emotional.  She felt so vulnerable, so detached.  No one had seen her cry, and here she was, crying in the middle of a classroom in front of her teacher.

“I know you wish you could go back and save him, and so do I,” J’onn frowned.  “But your father wouldn’t want you living in the past.  He would want you to do your best, so you can _be_ your best.”

“I know,” Alex choked out.  “I’m sorry.”

J’onn handed her a handkerchief.  “Don’t apologize,” he said.  “I know you know this stuff.  Just show me.”  Alex snatched the cloth and dabbed at her eyes.  “You’ve got this, Alex.”

She nodded.  “Thanks.”

J’onn stood, and snatched some papers from his desk—homework from another class, assumingly.  “Now get to class.”

Alex laughed.  “Okay, okay.  See you Friday.”  She took off out of the room and down the corridor.  If it had been any other class following, Alex would be anxious about how late she was running, but Care of Magical Creatures was pretty laid back, and Hagrid loved her.

Honestly, Alex was glad she decided to continue with Care of Magical Creatures for her N.E.W.T.s.  Most aurors would recommend taking more intensive and useful classes, but for Alex it was a breath of fresh air, quite literally.  She strolled across the grounds to Hagrid’s hut and felt as though a weight lifted from her shoulders.  This class wasn’t as much of a struggle this year as the other ones were.  There were only a handful of students that stayed with the class, and everyone who was there genuinely wanted to be there. People never take Care of Magical Creatures to meet requirements, but simply from the pure joy of it.

Alex climbed down the stone steps toward the hut and saw in the distance that the class had already started.  She hastened her descent down the steps and arrived with a nod from Hagrid and frowns from some other nearby students.  Maggie nudged her in the arm with her elbow, and when Alex glanced over, Maggie had a small smile on her lips.  Alex couldn’t help but smile too.

“Now, Alex, yeh missed the beginnin’, but today we’re going ter be talking ‘bout the jobberknoll.  I’m assumin’ yeh’ve heard of it?”

Alex nodded.  “Yeah, it’s feathers are popularly used in truth serums and memory potions.  Although, an increase in demand for those potions over the years has led to the jobberknoll becoming endangered.”

“Correct!” Hagrid grinned.  “An’ another reason is because people want ter hear the jobberknoll’s final scream, an’ the only way ter hear that is fer yeh to kill it.  But I don’ know why people want ter hear the scream.  It’s been known ter drive men mad.”

Alex knew this, as she had spoken to one of her mother’s patients at Saint Mungo’s who had heard the scream of a jobberknoll.

“Now, if yeh’ll open yer books teh page fifty-seven, we can talk about studying an’ using the jobberknoll’s magical properties while still respecting and preserving the lives of such creatures…”

Alex listened intently, and took notes throughout the lesson, and Hagrid even said that he had a live jobberknoll to show them next class.  Alex didn’t even care if this wouldn’t help her become an auror; Care of Magical Creatures was cool as shit.

After class, she was the first to leave, trudging up the steps, while others still gathered their books to leave.  She heard quick footsteps behind her and looked to find Maggie, jogging to catch up.

Maggie bumped into Alex’s side as she fell into step with her.  “Some class, huh?”

Alex nodded.  “It’s always fun out here.”

“I’m glad you kept this one,” Maggie said.  “It’s good to have you out there.”

“Yeah, I’m glad I kept it too.”

They fell into silence, only their heavy breaths as they climbed up to the castle filling the air.

“So how’s your team doing this year?” Maggie asked.

Alex shrugged.  “We haven’t gotten a chance to practice yet because _someone_ booked up the pitch all of last weekend.”  She sent a playful glare in Maggie’s direction.

“Hey, I gotta whip my team into shape.”  Maggie’s grin was smug, and Alex rolled her eyes, but a blush crept onto her cheeks.

“Well we don’t need to be whipped into shape, we’re already that good,” she said.  “But thanks for being generous enough to spare the pitch for us on Saturday.”

“Oh, my pleasure,” Maggie said.  “I do want it to be a fair competition, after all.”

Alex raised an eyebrow.  “Are you implying that we don’t play fair?”  Maggie said nothing.  “Oh, come on, I thought you of all people wouldn’t judge a Slytherin by her house.”

“I’m just giving you shit, Danvers,” Maggie laughed.  “But you did play a little dirty in that final last year.”

“Okay, first of all it was an accident and second of all I apologized to James for kicking him in the head after the game and all has been forgiven,” Alex said with a laugh.

“Well, best of luck,” Maggie said as they entered the castle.  “I’m off to study.”  She pointed a thumb over her shoulder, toward the basement, where she knew the Hufflepuff common room was in the general vicinity.

“Studying already?” Alex teased.  “It’s the second week of school.  You can’t possibly have any exams yet.”

“Okay, by study I mean take a two-hour nap and then go to dinner.”

Alex rolled her eyes.  “Tell Kara I said hi, if you see her.”

“Will do,” Maggie saluted as she backed away.  “See you in class?”

“See you.”

With a final wave, Maggie spun around and headed toward the basement.  Alex watched her walk away until she disappeared down the stairs and out of sight.  She had never been very close with Maggie before, but she was becoming a good friend this year, Alex realized.  They were never rivals, necessarily, they both just became very competitive on the pitch.  Maggie was a talented beater, Alex would give her that, and one of the nicest people at Hogwarts (except perhaps Kara).  Alex bit her lip, and shook her head when she realized she hadn’t moved from her spot in a while.

At least Maggie didn’t see how distracted she was, because she would have smiled that dimpled smile, and…

Alex didn’t let herself finish that thought.  It wasn’t the time to think of that.  What she had to focus on was making sure to bring her grades up.  Well, that and quidditch.

 

 

 

Alex learned very quickly that Lucy Lane was proving to be a ruthless captain.  Ravenclaw and Gryffindor had the pitch booked out most afternoons, and Maggie liked to hog the weekends for Hufflepuff, so Lucy started getting the team on a schedule of before dawn practices.

She would wake Alex, and their teammates, at about four o’clock every morning, so they could be at the pitch by five and get a good chunk of practice time in before classes started at nine.  On the occasional weekend that they were able to book, Lucy implemented dawn til dusk practices, with only breaks for lunch and bathroom.  It was an _exhausting_ routine.  Alex found herself dozing off during classes and falling asleep in her food at dinner.

The worst that happened was in potions class.  Alex was partnered with Lucy to brew the draught of living death, something that Alex had studied many times before, just never made in practice.  At the ingredients cupboard, Alex yawned for just a moment as she reached for a small bottle of infusion of wormwood.  She headed back to their station to add it to the potion, poured it in, and noticed the liquid begin to glow.

“Shit,” she muttered, and dragged Lucy out of the way just in time before the potion exploded.

Alex opened her hand to find that she had accidentally grabbed a vial of acromantula venom by mistake.

“Miss Danvers,” Professor Slughorn trudged over to their cauldron.  The rest of the class was dead silent as Slughorn inspected the cauldron.  “What happened here?”

“I, um—I accidentally grabbed, er, venom instead.  Acromantula, sir,” Alex muttered.  “Its corrosive properties must have made the potion combust.”

“Correct, dear,” he murmured.  “However, how you made that mistake, I know not.  Please don’t let it happen again.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Enough with the _sir_ ,” Slughorn laughed, deep and booming.  “Just get this cleaned up.”

Alex nodded and hastened for towels while Lucy fanned off their still smoking cauldron.

“Ugh, sorry Luce.  It was completely an accident.”  Alex spoke softly as to not be overheard while the other students focused on their potions.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Lucy shrugged.  “Are you ok though?  You look dead tired.”

Alex shrugged.  “I think it’s these crazy practices,” she muttered.  “You’re insane, you know that, right?”

Lucy smiled.  “Of course I know that.  Can you go to sleep earlier?  It’s been working for the rest of us.  I get all my homework done and am in bed by like nine.  It’s not fun but when we win the cup, it’ll be worth it.”

Alex frowned.  She didn’t want to tell Lucy that she, too was usually in bed by nine, but was kept up all night, thinking about her dad, and the little bits of sleep she was able to find were usually interrupted by nightmares of flashing green light, and a glare of Lex Luthor’s piercing blue eyes.

“You’re right,” was all Alex said.  “I’ll try that.”

She dropped the subject after that.

She didn’t speak to Lucy much the rest of class, and once Slughorn dismissed them, she was the first one out the door.

Alex heard footsteps approaching behind her and frowned.  She didn’t want to deal with Lucy right now.  She turned to tell her off but was pleasantly surprised to find Maggie.

“Danvers, hey,” she said.  “What happened back there?”

Alex shrugged.  “It was nothing.  Stupid mistake is all.”  It was the truth.

“That was kind of scary, huh?”

“A little bit, yeah.”

“Are you doing okay?” Maggie asked.

Alex immediately straightened up and gave her a curious look.  “What are you talking about?”

Maggie shrugged.  “You’ve just seemed a little bit off lately.  I’m curious.”

Alex said nothing.

“You know, if you’re struggling in potions right now, I’d be more than happy to help.”

“What, like tutor me?” Alex snorted.

“Yeah, I mean, if you need it,” Maggie said.  “Not to, like, overstep boundaries or anything. I just want to help.”

Alex wanted to say no.  She didn’t need tutoring, she just needed some sleep.  But Maggie looked up at her with those deep, dark eyes, and Alex found herself lost.  It didn’t even register in her brain when she said, “Okay.”

Maggie’s face lit up.  “Really?  Um, how bout Saturday?  After I’m done with practice?  We can grab some dinner and head to the library.”

“You know Madame Pince would eviscerate us if she knew we had any food within a hundred feet of any library books.”

“I meant we’ll eat first and _then_ go to the library, dummy,” Maggie laughed.  “Brain food.”

“Right, brain food.”  Alex blushed.  “Sounds good.  I’ll see you Saturday.”

“Later, Danvers.”

Saturday.

Dinner, and then the library.  It sounded a bit like a date.  At least, as close to a date as you could get when the first Hogsmeade trip was still a month away.

Not that Alex wanted it to be a date.  She just liked spending time with Maggie, and she did need to improve her potions grade.  Although her potions grade had nothing to do with lack of studying and everything to do with lack of sleep.  It was turning into a real problem.

 

 

 

 

_A dark hallway._

_“I love you, kid.”_

_Alex turned around, looking for the source of the voice._

_“Dad?”_

_“Danvers?”_

_A flash of green light filled her vision._

_“Danvers!”_

Alex jolted awake.

“As cute as you are when you sleep, now’s not the time.  I need you to run me through how to brew a shrinking solution again.”

Alex blinked at the light that suddenly filled her vision.  Books.  Library.  _Maggie_.

Maggie was staring at her from across the table, poking at Alex’s arm with her wand, a dark black color with a twisted design.  Alex jolted upright and swatted the wand away.  “Careful with that!” she exclaimed.

“Sorry,” Maggie muttered.  “You were passed out, though.  How was I supposed to wake you up?”

“Maybe poke me with your finger next time instead of a wand that can turn my legs to jelly or make me spit up slugs?”

Maggie considered this for a moment.  “Okay…. noted.  Now, shrinking solution. Go.”

“Maggie, I’ve told you how to make a shrinking solution at least a hundred times by now.  I could do it in my sleep.”

“Well it’s not what you were saying in your sleep.”

Alex froze.  “W—was I talking?”

Maggie’s face dropped.  “Yeah,” she said, pursed lips.   “You were saying ‘dad’, and um—shit, I’m sorry Alex, I—“

“No, it’s—it’s fine,” Alex muttered.  “Sorry I fell asleep.”

A cold silence fell between them.  “You were dreaming about him?”

Alex shrugged.  “Nightmare, actually.”

Maggie opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again as she paused to think.  “Is that why you’ve been so tired?” she asked.

Slowly, Alex nodded.  “That on top of Lucy’s stupid practices… I’m not getting any sleep.”

“So you don’t actually need tutoring in potions, do you?”

Alex shook her head.  “Not really, no.”  She met Maggie’s eyes, with a curious glint and a small smile on her lips.

“Then why’d you say yes?”

Alex bit her lip and considered her options.  She could tell Maggie the truth.  Alternatively, she could… sit here and not say anything until Maggie forgot the question.  Plan B seemed like the way to go, but Maggie’s eyes hadn’t left hers since she asked, and her head was tilted to the side as she watched Alex intently, curiously.

“I—“

“Ladies, it’s time to go,” Madame Pince said as she grabbed the library books they had been using and began to shelve them.  “Library’s closing, it’s nearly curfew.”

Alex blinked, and looked up at the librarian.  “Right,” she muttered.  “Of course.”  She closed her book and began to gather her papers.  Maggie stared at her for just a moment more, chin resting on her knuckles, before she shook her head and began to help clean their table.  Alex pretended like she couldn’t feel Maggie’s dark eyes boring a hole into the side of her head as she was being watched.

They made their trek out of the library, along with the few other students who had stayed out studying so late.  As others sprinted upstairs, trying to get all the way up to their towers before curfew, Alex and Maggie headed down, toward the basement and the dungeons.

As their paths began to drift apart, the halted in the middle of a corridor, lingering, neither one wanting to say goodbye to the other.

Maggie was the one who finally broke their silence.  “Have a good night, Danvers.”

“You too, Maggie.”  Alex turned around, before she hesitated any longer and headed into the dungeons without looking back.

The common room was cold, but Alex felt a small, comforting warmth in her chest as she recalled the way Maggie looked at her back in the library.  She changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed.  And though she did toss and turn and struggle to sleep, it was the first night in a long time that Alex was not plagued by nightmares.

 

 

 

Alex didn’t get any less tired, and with their first quidditch match of the season coming up soon, Lucy was not easing up on their training.  Alex just had to get a little better at managing her time.  When she woke from nightmares in the middle of the night and knew that trying to fall back asleep would be fruitless, she would climb out of bed and work on homework in the common room by the firelight.

Her sessions with Maggie continued, at least once a week, but instead of tutoring it turned into shared notes and doing homework together.  Either one would speak up when they had a question and would throw around ideas with each other.  These study dates were always accompanied by diner together, and sometimes Maggie would sneak sweets in her bag for dessert.  They made a game out of trying to eat them without being caught by Madame Pince.

Even if they only had a few classes together, professors usually stuck to the same schedule for everyone, especially in N.E.W.T. level classes, so they were able to work together with ease.  Alex grew more comfortable in her new routine, and occasionally, she would be able to sleep through the night.

The night before the first quidditch match (which, coincidentally, was Slytherin versus Hufflepuff), Maggie and Alex sat in silence, finishing their transfiguration essays, the easy quiet of the library filled only with the sounds of turning pages, quills as they scratched against parchment, and muffled whispers of students.  Alex glanced up from her work—she had only written three inches so far—and saw Maggie, deep in concentration, brow furrowed, and her page had about twice as much writing as Alex had.

Maggie checked the time on her watch and sighed.  As she stood to gather her papers, Alex quickly looked down at her own assignment.  Maggie’s chair squeaked across the floor as she pushed it back.

“Leaving so soon?” Alex asked nonchalantly; she didn’t even glance up from her paper.

Maggie shrugged.  “Want to get a good night’s rest for the match.”

Alex nodded.  “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

Maggie lifted her bag from the table and stepped away.  She hesitated, and cleared her throat.  “Hey,” Maggie started.  Alex looked up and met her gaze.  “Good luck tomorrow, Danvers,” she said, sincerity in her voice.  Alex smiled.  She was about to thank her when Maggie added, “You’re gonna need it.”

Alex rolled her eyes, but she laughed.  “We’ll settle this tomorrow.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Maggie said, and with a wink, she was off.

Alex sighed.  With Maggie gone, she had no more reason to stay in the library.  She packed up her books and walked downstairs to the common room, past Lucy scolding the third-year players for not being in bed yet, down the corridor to her dormitory.

She retrieved a muggle novel from the drawer of her bedside table.  It was a children’s book, one that she had read countless times, but it was a gift from her father and sometimes, reading it helped her sleep.

Alex made it to chapter three of _A Wrinkle In Time_ before she drifted off, head falling against the pages.  She didn’t know, but it was Lucy who came in half an hour later and took off her shoes for her.

The next morning was crisp with the early autumn air.  The castle buzzed with anticipation of the first quidditch match of the season.  Lucy, once again, made sure that everyone on the team was up before dawn, first to breakfast in the Great Hall, and out to the pitch a good hour and a half before the game began.  This gave them ample time to get ready and recover from Lucy’s far-too-intimidating pre-match pep talk.

Lucy was the first dressed in her robes and ready to go, broomstick clutched to her side.  “Listen flobberworms,” her voice rang through the tent.  A tiny third year boy, their newest team chaser, tripped over his feet as he stepped into his quidditch robes at the sound of Lucy’s voice.  He fell onto the ground and Lucy glared at him until he picked himself up.

“You all have worked too hard and too long to lose this match.”  Silence throughout the tent as they waited for Lucy’s next words.  “We have to start this season strong, and I believe in you guys,” she continued on an oddly inspiring note.  “But I swear to Merlin if you mess this up for me I’m scheduling twice as many practices. Okay?”

There was a single groan from the team, and everyone’s eyes grew wide.  Lucy raised an eyebrow and someone cleared their throat.

“Yes, Lucy,” they sang in unison.

Alex rolled her eyes, and Lucy shot her a glare when she noticed.  Alex chuckled and finished lacing up her boots.  With the end of Lucy’s pep talk, she sat down next to Alex on the bench.

“I’m not being too hard on everyone, am I?” she asked with a small frown.

Alex shrugged.  “Oh, you definitely are,” she said.  Lucy pouted and was about to protest, but Alex held up a hand.  “But that’s what the captain is supposed to do.”  She smiled at her friend in reassurance.  “You’ve pushed us to do our best, so now we’re going to go out there and win.”

“And kick Sawyer’s ass!” Lucy squealed in agreement.

“Yah, that too.”  Alex looked around on the bench, then picked up her bag and rummaged through it.  “Hey, have you seen my—”

Lucy held up a pair of leather gloves.

“Thanks,” Alex snatched her gloves from Lucy and slipped them on her hands.  She wiggled her fingers, then grabbed her broomstick, a handy Comet 300.  People always knocked comets for not being nearly as fast as the Nimbus, Firebolt, or even Cleansweep, but Alex was a keeper.  She didn’t need speed and agility.  She needed power and stability to hold her own in front of the goal posts, and that’s what the Comet gave her.

As the crowd made its way from the castle to the stands, they could hear the change in atmosphere.  The stadium was alive with the hum of excited students cheering on their friends and placing bets, ready for the quidditch season to begin.  While the team took in the air of anticipation, a sharp whistle blew from the field.

“This is it,” Lucy breathed.  She looked up at the team and with a smirk, she shouted, “Let’s go kick some ass!”

The team yelled and whooped in excitement.  Lucy and Alex led the team in their march onto the pitch.  Alex mounted her broom and gripped the handle tightly; she locked eyes with Lucy and gave a sharp nod.  With a push, they were off the ground.

Wind whipped at Alex’s cheeks as she and the team did a lap around the stadium before she took her place in front of the southern goal posts.  If Alex squinted, she could just make out Hufflepuff’s keeper, Susan Vasquez, in place as well.

“ _At the South end we have team Slytherin led by the intimidating Lucy Lane,_ ” a familiar voice boomed through the grounds that Alex recognized as her sister’s friend, Winn Schott.  Cheers rang from the stands, as well as a scattering of boos.  Alex’s eyes scanned the pitch and she found Lucy and Maggie circling each other on their brooms, piercing glares thrown in the other’s direction.

“ _And at the North end is team Hufflepuff, led by the fearless Maggie Sawyer!_ ”  More cheers and boos rang out.  Maggie looked around the field and offered a wave when she caught Alex’s eye.  Alex’s heart rate increased and she blushed furiously.  Internally, she attributed it to the excitement from the game, but she still turned her broom away from Maggie and hoped that she couldn’t see the scarlet red on Alex’s cheeks from three hundred feet away.

“ _This is also Hufflepuff’s first match with their new seeker, fourth year Kara Danvers!_ ”

Alex blinked.  “What?!” she shouted, and suddenly Kara zoomed up to her on what looked like a brand-new Nimbus X.

“Surprise!” Kara grinned from ear to ear, but when she saw the baffled look on Alex’s face, her smile fell.  “I wanted to tell you I swear, but Maggie made me promise not to,” she explained.  Another whistle blew from below.  “Love you!” Kara said before Alex could even get a word in, and then took off again.

“ _It’s sister versus sister in today’s match, folks.  Lots of drama guaranteed.  This could get ugly—_ ”

“ _Schott!”_

“ _Sorry Professor.  As I was saying, the bludgers are out and the snitch takes off right behind them!_ ”  Alex shook her head, laughing to herself.  Why McGonagall allowed Winn to commentate on the match, she would never know.  “ _The quaffle is immediately snatched up by Carter Grant, Hufflepuff’s new chaser.  He may be a first year but boy can that kid fly!_ ”  Alex flew back and forth between the goal posts, keeping her eyes trained on the quaffle.

The match was fairly stagnant for the first ten minutes or so.  Neither keeper saw any action as the battle raged in the middle of the field, quaffle constantly changing hands, being fumbled as a bludger zoomed by or intercepted from a pass.

“Lookin’ good, Danvers,” Maggie flew across the top of her goal posts and gave the bludger that had strayed in this direction a good whack, causing Lyra to drop the quaffle.  “I gotta say, your team is putting up quite a fight.”

Alex rolled her eyes.  “Don’t let Lucy hear you calling them my team,” Alex called back.  “She’d have an aneurysm.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let her hear it,” Maggie said as she flew down to Alex’s level.

“What are you doing, Maggie?” Alex asked.  “We’re in the middle of a match.”

Maggie shrugged and circled around Alex playfully.  “Can’t we have some friendly conversation until things get a little more exciting?”

Alex grew a little frustrated, even though Maggie was being very cute.  “I need to stay focused,” she said.  “You can do whatever the hell you want.”

Maggie chuckled and flew a few yards away to whack a bludger.  “Well, I can’t wait to see you in action!”  She winked, and Alex felt her mouth gape open dumbly, no response coming to her lips.

Suddenly, the quaffle zoomed right past her head and through the bottom left hoop

“ _Carter Grant scores the first goal of the match, putting Hufflepuff in the lead, 10-0!_ ”  Cheers erupted from the crowd.  “ _It seems Sawyer has found a new tactic that works: flirting with the normally steadfast Alex—”_

_“Schott!”_

_“Come on, professor, she was totally flirting—”_

_“Enough!”_

Winn let out a heavy sigh.  “ _So the normally steadfast Alex Danvers misses the save because she’s distracted for_ some unknown reason…”

Alex shook her head, blocking out all the voices.  She sent Maggie a piercing glare.  “You asshole!” she shouted.

Maggie just shrugged.  “Guess you’re onto me now.”  And with that, she took off across the pitch.

Alex let out a sigh, and turned her attention back to the game, where Siobhan had the ball near the other end of the field.

“What the _hell_ , Danvers?”

Alex winced at the sound of her friend’s angry voice.  “I’m sorry Lucy, I—”

“You can swoon over your crush all you want after the match,” Lucy grumbled as she flew in close and poked a finger harshly against Alex’s chest.  “Get your head in the goddamn game.”

Baffled, Alex shook her head swiftly.  “I do not have a crush on—”

“Save it,” Lucy said.  Alex frowned.  “No, Alex, literally save it!”

Alex looked up and managed to grab the quaffle flying at the hoops out of the air before it streaked past her again.  She chucked the ball to Siobhan who took off down the side, weaving around the stands.

“That’s my girl!” Lucy grinned and took off to circle the pitch again.

The match began to pick up after the first goal.  Alex made a few more saves herself, and Slytherin was able to score ten points.  The crowd was loving it, and there was still no sign of the snitch.

“ _This is shaping up to be quite a match,_ ” Winn’s voice could be heard above the din of the crowd.  “ _The teams are neck and neck—excellent save by Vasquez!  She tosses the quaffle to Brian who drops it straight into the hands of Siobhan Smythe, again!  Oof, Smythe has the wind knocked out of her lungs and the quaffle knocked out of her hands thanks to Sawyer’s well-aimed bludger.  Carter Grant swipes the ball and takes off down the field…they can’t catch him, this kid is too fast!  He’s head to head with Danvers—uhh—Alex, the older—Danvers One.  He takes the shot, and, OH, beautiful save there!”_

Alex grinned while the crowd went wild.

 

“Damn, Danvers,” Maggie’s voice came from behind her somewhere.  Alex tossed the ball to Lyra and spun around midair.  “Nice reflexes there.”

Maggie dove in front of Alex and thwacked a bludger headed in their direction.  It zoomed across the field and past Lyra’s head.

“You missed,” Alex said, unamused.  She looked back in time to see Lyra drop the quaffle in shock.

“I wasn’t trying to hit her,” Maggie smirked, then immediately flew downfield.

Alex realized then that Carter was flying at her again, quaffle in hand.  He flew up toward the goal posts, feigned left and flung the quaffle toward the center hoop.  Alex dove for the ball, and it barely slipped through her fingertips and into the hoop.

 _“Another goal for Hufflepuff!”_ Winn shouted over the cheers.  “ _Looks like Danvers One was distracted again and cost Slytherin that tie.  Hufflepuff leads 20-10.”_

Alex flipped him off.

“Don’t listen to him,” Maggie said teasingly, flying past Alex again.  “I think you’re doing great today.”

“Would you go away?” Alex groaned.

“But this is much more fun,” Maggie pointed out.

Alex veered left on her broom and glared at Maggie.  She’s not sure what was worse: the annoying smirk and quirked eyebrow in Maggie’s flirtatious confidence, or the grin that grew the moment they both saw the quaffle fly between their heads and into the hoop.

“Mother fu—”

“ _Another goal for Hufflepuff_!”

Alex could feel Lucy’s glare before she saw it.  Lucy flew towards her, but swiftly changed course as she rocketed in a different direction.

“ _Looks like there’s been a snitch sighting as Lucy takes off, with Danvers Two close behind her.  Sawyer’s aim appears to be no match for Lane’s agility as she effortlessly dodges that bludger, her eyes on the prize.  Can’t forget about the rest of the game, folks, as Brian comes at Danvers One full force._ ”

Alex blinked and turned just in time to use her broom to block the quaffle from getting past her again.  The ball was rebounded by Carter who throws it just over Alex’s head and between her arms.

“ _40-10!  Danvers One is off her game today for some reason.  I wonder if Sawyer’s gotten in her head—”_

_“Winslow Schott if you don’t focus on reporting the game instead of school gossip—”_

_“Aanndd Danvers Two gains on Lane!  The seekers are neck and neck!  Can anyone besides them even_ see _the snitch yet?  Because I sure can’t!_ ”

Alex glanced back at Lucy and Kara, and caught a glint of gold a few yards in front of them.  As soon she saw it, it disappeared again.  She looked back to the pitch to find the quaffle again, but only saw a bludger hurling directly towards her face.  Alex has only her fast reflexes to thank, as she darted out of the way.  The bludger missed her head, but smashed into her wrist.  Pain shot up her left arm, and she lost her grip on her broomstick, slipping forward, almost losing balance.  “Fuck!” Alex cursed.

“ _Ouch, that’s gotta hurt,”_ Winn announced.  “ _Danvers One is lucky to avoid a head on collision with Leslie’s bludger, but that looked bad.  Is this it for the steadfast keeper?  Looks like Hufflepuff is taking advantage of her incapacitated state as Brian scores another goal!_ ”

Alex regained balance, then flexed her fingers and circled her wrist a few times to test out her range of motion.  It wasn’t much.  If she moved it even a few centimeters, the pain was almost unbearable.  She sighed, and shifted her grip to her right arm, while she let her left hang loosely at her side.

The quaffle flew toward the goal posts again, so she shot backwards and kicked the ball out of the way.

“ _DANVERS ONE IS BACK WITH AN INCREDIBLE RECOVERY_!  _Meanwhile, Danvers Two has just surpassed Lane, but I think she’s lost sight of the snitch.  Lane falls back and—she’s diving!  Danvers Two is right behind her but Lane knows what she’s doing!  Danvers One lunges for another ball but barely misses, putting Hufflepuff ahead 60-10.  Good effort for lacking use of one arm, though.  Lane’s now skyrocketing upwards!  Where the heck is she going?  Sawyer sends another bludger in her direction, it nicks the tail of her broom, but that does not phase her!  She’s going, and going, and she’s behind a cloud.  What is happening?!”_

Alex looked up just in time to see Kara disappear into the same cloud.  The stadium is silent, save for the chasers pushing and yelling and grunting.

Two small figures reappeared from above, slower than before, flying side by side.  When they drew closer, Alex could make out the accomplished grin on Lucy’s face, just before she threw her fist into the air to reveal the snitch clutched in her fist.  The crowd went wild.

_“SLYTHERIN WINS! Lucy Lane catches the snitch, and we didn’t see it, but I’m sure it looked great!  Final score is 160-70!”_

The team flew around Lucy, whooping and cheering.  They landed on the field and dismounted their brooms; they made their way back to the tent to change, jumping with excitement.  The mood, however, shifted the moment they were off the field, Lucy’s disappointment evident.

“Danvers, what the hell?” she started with.

“I know, I messed up,” Alex sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead.  “I’ll do better next time.”

Lucy took a moment to size up Alex, then nodded in approval, trusting that she would keep her word.  “As for the rest of you,” she continued with a glare, “come on!  You’re better than this.  The team is more than just its seeker.”  Everyone murmured their agreement and apologies.  “Now,” Lucy said.  “We’ll celebrate tonight, but soon it’s back to work, because that cup is ours this year!”

The team cheered and clapped, and Alex joined in but pain immediately shot through her arm.  “Shit,” she muttered.

“You okay?” Lucy asked.

“Yeah,” Alex said with a wince.  “Probably broken.  I’ll have to go see Madame Pomfrey to fix it up. See you back in the common room?”

“See you!” Lucy waved her off.  “We’ll talk about your crush later.”

Alex flipped her off on the way out, with her good arm, of course.

 

 

After a weekend of partying for the Slytherins, Alex was exhausted.  Monday morning came too quickly, and Alex found herself in the Great Hall, munching on a muffin, when her owl landed on the bench next to her, a copy of the Daily Prophet clutched in its beak.  Alex smiled when she saw him.  She took the paper from his mouth and scratched his head.  “Thanks Jerry.”  She reached into the pocket of her robes for an owl treat, which Jerry greedily snatched out of her fingers.

As Alex watched him fly out of the Great Hall, she unfurled her paper to see the front page headline: LUTHOR MAKES RUN FOR MINISTER. Alex frowned and skimmed the article

 _Lillian Luthor, mother of renowned dark wizard Lex has announced her run for Minister of Magic.  Despite her son’s reputation, the wizarding community seems quick to support her.  Following Luthor’s tenure as Head Of Magical Discovery…._ Blah blah blah.

Minister of Magic?  Lillian Luthor was the one who diverted funding from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement that was tracking her murderous son to fund research in her own department.  Alex was baffled, but most of all, she was angry.  Why would anyone allow this?  She wanted to yell, she wanted to cry, she wanted to… ask her dad what she should do.

Alex buried her face in her hands and blinked away the tears that stung at her eyes, threatening to spill.  She would not cry.  Not here, not now.  Alex felt a hand on her shoulder.

“What?” Alex spat out.

“You okay, Danvers?” Maggie’s voice rang in her ears, and Alex immediately relaxed.  She looked up to see Maggie frowning at her.  “I came over to congratulate you on the game, but you seem distressed.”

“It’s nothing,” Alex sighed.  “Thanks.”

Maggie’s eyes caught sight of the paper on the table.  “Lillian Luthor, huh?”  She grabbed the paper and skimmed through the article.  “What a bitch,” she scoffed.  “You alright?”  Her voice was laced with concern for Alex, even if she didn’t outright say it.

“Yeah,” Alex said.  “I’m okay.”

Maggie nodded and gave her a small smile.  She handed the paper to Alex and started to back away, bouncing on the balls of her feet.  “See you in class,” she said, and headed out of the Great Hall.

Alex frowned at the paper in her hands, crumbled it, and tossed it away.  She stormed out of there without finishing her breakfast.

Alex didn’t go to classes that day.  She would say that she was sick or something.  Instead, she went for a jog around the lake.  When she passed by Hagrid’s hut, she could make out the group of students gathered for the class that she should have been in.  She wondered what Maggie thought when she never showed.  Was she worried?  Disappointed?  Maybe she thought Alex was weak, for letting that silly article break her.

It wasn’t like Alex never thought about her dad anymore; she thought about him all the time.  She didn’t like reminders that his killer was still out there and that his corrupt politician of a mother was reaping the benefits of his publicity.  Albeit, bad publicity, but publicity nonetheless.

When Alex was home, and when she was frustrated, she liked to take her broom out and fly down the coast.  She would fly out over the open ocean and see how far she could get before growing tired.  She would follow the swell of the waves, dipping down low enough to drag the tips of her toes through the water.  There was nothing as exhilarating as that feeling of freedom.  She wasn’t thinking about keeping her grades up or what her mother would say if she found out.  She focused on the chill of the ocean breeze against her cheeks, whipping through her hair, the smell of sea salt and fish, the feeling of her broomstick’s coarse handle under her grip.

Alex couldn’t do that at school, so running was the next best thing.  She gulped for air in her lungs and pushed her muscles to the limit, and didn’t stop until she reached the castle again.

The Black Lake is _huge_.  Alex didn’t realize how long she was gone until she heard early dinner chatter from students in the Great Hall.  Alex’s stomach growled.  She checked her watch and saw it was only half past four.  She figured she could shower, change, and still eat dinner at a relatively normal time.  That is until she made her way to her dormitory to find Kara sitting cross-legged on her bed.

Alex frowned.  “You’ve got to stop doing this,” she said.  “You know how Slytherins get when you barge in here.”

Kara looked up and Alex and rolled her eyes.  “Please,” she muttered.  “If they didn’t want me in here they would make the passwords harder to guess.”

“What are you doing here?” Alex asked.

Kara scooched over and patted the bed.  “Maggie told me after practice that you didn’t go to any classes today,” she replied.  “I saw the headline this morning.  You okay?”

Alex sat down next to her sister and pulled her knees up to her chest.  “No,” she shrugged.  “But you know that.”  Alex didn’t like letting others see this side of her, the vulnerable side.  But when it was Kara, Alex couldn’t lie to her.  Well, she could; she’s a good liar.  But it’s exhausting to keep things bottled up, so she allowed herself this time to feel something.  When the tears began to fall, Kara was there, wrapping her in a tight hug.  Alex fell into her arms.

“I know,” Kara whispered.  Alex didn’t cry much; she was too tired, but she was glad to have Kara there who understood how she felt.  “I brought you food.”  Kara opened her bag to reveal a mountain of goods she snuck out of the Great Hall.  “Thought we could have dinner together.”

Alex laughed at the absolutely massive pile of food that Kara poured onto her emerald green sheets.  Kara did always know exactly how to make her feel better.

 

 

 

The first snowfall of the season brought excitement of the upcoming holidays, as well as the second Hogsmeade trip of the year.  Alex missed the first one, as did the rest of the Slytherin quidditch team, because Lucy had booked out the pitch the entire day for practice, and threatened to kick off the team anyone who didn’t show.  This time, M’gann beat her to the punch, so Gryffindor were the unlucky souls who had to practice today.

Lucy was furious at first, ended up dragging Alex away from her books and to the village for a while.  “You work way too hard, babe,” Lucy said as they walked out of the snowy chill and into Tomes & Scrolls.  “You deserve a break.”

Alex took the scarf from her neck, the warmth from the shop heating her back up to a comfortable body temperature.  “Is that why we’re in Tomes & Scrolls?” Alex asked, eyeing the books along the walls, the fresh parchment and fancy quills on display.

“Please,” Lucy scoffed.  “We both know you don’t waste your time in Zonko’s.”

“That’s fair.”

“So buy yourself something cool and then we’ll go get a butterbeer.”

Alex was going to reply, but then she caught sight of Maggie outside the shop, rosy cheeks almost covered by the yellow scarf wrapped around her neck.  Dark locks fell down her shoulders, out from under the beanie that sat atop her head.  Maggie noticed her too, and raised a gloved hand to wave.  Alex bit her lip and smiled.  She gave a small wave back, watching as Maggie stepped out of the street and into Honeydukes.

Lucy watched this interaction with a knowing smirk and a quirked eyebrow.  “Or we could talk about that.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Alex scoffed.

“Oh, come _on_!” Lucy said.  “I’ve been a good friend.  I didn’t say anything after that match against Hufflepuff.  I deserve to know.”

“What do you want me to say?” Alex asked with an over-exaggerated shrug.

“You like Maggie,” Lucy sang.

Alex rolled her eyes and pushed past Lucy into an aisle of quills.  “I do not like Maggie,” she grumbled.

“You’ve got a big lesbian crush on her.  It’s cute!”

“We are not talking about this.”

“Come on, Alex!  Be real for two seconds.  I’m asking as your best friend.” Lucy grabbed her by the shoulders, looked her right in the eye, and asked, “Do you like her?”

Alex stayed silent and turned away from Lucy.  She busied herself inspecting a quill that sat on the shelf.  After a while she mumbled, “Yeah,” almost inaudible.  “I think so.”

Lucy sighed in relief.  “That’s all I wanted to hear.”  She caught sight of something down the aisle.  “Now, how about that self-addressing stationary, right?”  Alex laughed and followed her friend to the shelf.

Alex left the shop with a brand-new quill from the feather of a falcon, sturdy to write with and she would look cool doing it.

“Nerd,” Lucy muttered affectionately.

They had a quick butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks, Lucy’s treat, and headed back to the castle.  When they arrived back at the common room and back to their dormitory, both Alex and Lucy found a small envelope sitting atop their pillows.

Alex picked up her envelope and saw that it was addressed to _Miss Alexandra Danvers_.  She rolled her eyes. Nice.

The envelope was sealed with green wax.  She peeled it open to find a card in fancy script, which read:

_You are cordially invited to The Slug Club holiday party, on December the ninth at five o’ clock in the evening.  It’s sure to be a night of good food and good company._

“Ugh,” Lucy groaned as her eyes skimmed the invitation.  “Do we have to go?”

“We’ve missed all the other ‘meetings’ this year because of your practices,” Alex said.  “He’ll probably be upset if we don’t at least go to the holiday party.  You know Slughorn likes to go all out for this one.”

Lucy frowned.  “Yeah, but they’re so awkward!”  She flopped down on her bed.  “How’s that father of yours doing, Miss Lane?” Lucy said in her best Slughorn impression.  “He was one of my best students, you know.”

Alex laughed and kicked off her shoes.  “At least he can’t ask about my dad anymore.”  When Alex realized what she said, she froze.  Lucy tilted her head and gave Alex a sympathetic look.

“No, I’m—I’m fine, I think,” Alex quickly said when she saw the look on Lucy’s face.  “It’s just still weird.”

Lucy nodded in understanding and gave Alex a moment to gather her thoughts.  “Hey,” she added after a minute.  “Maybe you can ask Maggie to be your date.”

Alex threw a pillow at her.

The thing is, after Lucy’s suggestion, Alex seriously considered it.  She had plenty of opportunities: after class, studying together, in the Great Hall.  Maggie even came to congratulate Alex after Slytherin creamed Ravenclaw in the latest quidditch match, and it took every power within Alex to not accidentally ask her out and embarrass herself.

Every other day Lucy would ask Alex if she had asked Maggie out yet, and Alex would just give her the finger.  Eventually, Saturday the ninth came around, Alex broke out her best (only) dress robes, and dragged Lucy all the way to Slughorn’s office.  They could hear the music from around the corner.

The door to Slughorn’s office was open, so they stepped inside, and he had really outdone himself this year, Alex thought.  There was a string quartet playing instrumental holiday tunes; instead of candles the room was lit by floating balls of warm, glowing light.  There was an ice sculpture in the center that was of a small pond of ice, enchanted so there were two tiny ice figure skaters, skating around the space.  The ceiling was enchanted like the Great Hall’s so that it looked like it was snowing.

Also in attendance so far was James Olsen, who was deep in conversation with Slughorn.  Kara sat at a table with Lena Luthor, who was pushing food around on her plate with a fork, but not eating.  Adam and Carter Grant, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff quidditch players and sons of Daily Prophet editor-in-chief, Cat Grant, were chatting amiably with a handful of students that Alex didn’t recognize.

As soon as Kara noticed Alex and Lucy walk in, she waved them over excitedly.  Kara jumped out of her seat and wrapped her arms around Alex in a tight hug.  “I’m so glad you’re here!” she squealed.  “The holiday party is always so much fun.”

“Really?” Lucy asked.  “I always find it ridiculously awkward.”  Alex elbowed her in the side.

“Oh, it is,” Kara shrugged.  “But it’s fun to dress up and hang out with you guys.  It’s a nice change from the usual classes, quidditch and Hogsmeade when it comes to Hogwarts social events.

“Winn couldn’t come?” Alex asked.

Kara frowned.  “He wasn’t invited,” she explained.  “I asked if he wanted to come with me but he said no.”

Alex frowned too.  The exclusivity of these sucked.  She glanced over at Slughorn again and saw him still talking to James.  “They seem awfully chummy,” Alex commented.

“That may be my doing,” Lena interjected, raising a hand.  “Slughorn started accosting me about Lex and my mother, so James jumped in and has been keeping him away from me for the last…” she checked her watch, “twenty minutes.  It’s quite impressive, actually.”

Kara nodded.  “He’s so nice,” she agreed.  “I don’t think he’s even met Lena before tonight, and was so quick to help out.”

“People have been bothering me about my family all year,” Lena frowned.

“It sucks,” Kara explained.

Alex spun around when she heard someone new join the party and her breath caught in her thought at the sight of Maggie in the doorway, smiling at Kara.  She noticed Alex standing there too, and her eyes lit up (or so Alex would like to think).  She offered a small wave.  Alex found herself unconsciously stepping toward Maggie; she looked beautiful in her black dress, coat draped over her arm, wavy hair cascading down her shoulders.

Maggie met her a few feet from the group.  “Hey Danvers,” Maggie said with a cheeky grin.

“Hey,” Alex said.  “You look—your hair is—um, hi.”

Maggie laughed, and her cheeks tinged slightly pink.

“Um, what are you doing here?” Alex asked.  “Not—not that I don’t want you here, but I’ve never seen you at one of these things before.”

Maggie shrugged.  “Yeah, I guess I finally caught Slughorn’s attention with the team’s shut-out against Gryffindor.  Not like he cared before…” Maggie continued.  “And this whole idea of cultivating relationships is total bullshit.  We all know he just wants to befriend us for future personal gain, and—sorry.  Tonight is not the night for that rant.”

Alex laughed, and nervously brushed her hair behind her ear.  “So why’d you come?” she asked.  “If you hate the idea so much.”

Maggie blushed again.  Alex wasn’t sure if it was her imagination or wishful thinking, but then Maggie said, “Kara may have mentioned you would be here.”  She shrugged.  “I thought I’d stop by.”

Alex bit her lip and rubbed her hands together nervously as she held back a giddy smile.

“Sanvers! Dawyer!”  Horace Slughorn came between the two of them and put his arms around their shoulders, clearly already intoxicated.  “I’m so glad the both of you could join me tonight!”  He grabbed two glasses of chocolate liqueur from a passing waiter and handed a glass to each of them.  “Please, help yourself to a beverage.  We also have— _hic_ —Superior Red.”

Alex and Maggie shared an amused glance.  They clinked their glasses together and took a sip of the sweet drink.

“Now, I know there aren’t any distinguished alumni here this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have— _hic_ —a good time!” Slughorn continued.  “Am I upset that Clark Kent dropped out at the last minute because he had to do a story on wizard riots in New York?  Of _course_ not!  Am I disappointed?  Well, he—”

“There you are, professor!” James interjected, and grabbed Slughorn by the shoulders.  He started to walk Slughorn away from Alex and Maggie.  “Let’s get you something to drink.”

“Great idea!” Slughorn said.  “How about— _hic_ —another liqueur?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of water…”

Alex blinked at the drink in her hand, gave Maggie a puzzled look.  Maggie shrugged.  They both laughed and took another sip of their drinks.

“He was _so_ drunk,” Lucy laughed as she joined Alex and Maggie.  “This is going to be hilarious!”  She held out her glass of wine and clinked it against Alex and Maggie’s glasses and took a drink.

The night eventually ended early when Slughorn continued to sneak glasses of chocolate liqueur behind James’ back and got so drunk that he practically begged the Grant brothers to see if their mother could stop by, just for a moment.  Kara stayed behind to help James take care of Slughorn, Lucy offered to walk Lena back to her common room, and Alex found herself walking around the castle with Maggie in the middle of the night.

There was something about Hogwarts when the corridors were empty and quiet that was, well, magical.  It felt as though the castle itself was alive.

“Is that how those things usually go?” Maggie asked with a soft laugh.

“Usually those things consist of me and Lucy making fun of Slughorn under our breath and Kara kicking me in the shin for it under the table,” Alex explained with a frown.  “So I’d say that was better than usual.”

“The food was good though,” Maggie shrugged.

They strolled along the second-floor corridor, moonlight streamed through the windows and shone against Maggie’s face, her smile lighting up the shadows.  Alex gulped.  “Yeah,” she muttered.  “The food’s always the best part.”  But tonight, Alex thought, _this_ was the best part.

Maggie leaned against the doorframe to an empty classroom.  “You and Kara are pretty close, huh?” Maggie asked.

“Yeah,” Alex responded quickly.  “Some people think it’s weird because she’s just my foster sister, but she’s my best friend,” she explained.  Alex leaned against the other side of the door, subconsciously mimicking Maggie’s stance, folding her arms across her chest.

“That’s really cool,” Maggie said.  “She talks about you a lot, you know.  Practically idolizes you.”

Alex smiled.  “Talk to my sister a lot, do you?”

Maggie shrugged.  “Common room, quidditch, you know how it is.” She said.  Maggie nervously brushed her hair out of her face.  “I can see why she loves you,” she added, after a moment.

A rustling noise came from above them.  Alex glanced up and saw a small patched of mistletoe magically growing on the doorway above them.  She almost snorted because Hogwarts castle is a ridiculous place and of _course_ this would happen.  Her eyes grew wide and she glanced back to Maggie whose eyes were flicked upwards and her lips were pursed.

Alex could hear her heart thrumming in her ears; she didn’t know what to do with her hands, she didn’t know what Maggie wanted, but she leaned in nonetheless.  She could feel Maggie’s quick breath against her lips, her eyes fluttered shut, their noses brushed…

A splash of ice cold water covered Alex, followed by the sound of hearty laughter.  Both girls shrieked and jumped apart.  They looked at each other, gasping, and Alex was sopping wet.

“Oh, you should see the looks on your ickle faces!”  More vivacious laughter echoed through the corridor.  Alex knew that voice.

“Peeves!” she groaned.  Maggie picked up the remnants of a water balloon off the floor and frowned at it.  “Peeves, get out here or I will—”

“What, you’ll tattle?”  Peeves the poltergeist floated over Alex’s head and through the wall, tossing a water balloon to himself.  “And say what?  That you were up past curfew?”

Alex felt the anger boiling inside her.  “I am a prefect, and—”

“Alexandra the prefect!” Peeves teased in a sing-song, mocking voice.  “Alexandra the perfect prefect!”

“My name is _Alex_!”

“Alex and Maggie sitting in a tree,” Peeves sang.  “S-N-O-G-G-I-N—”

“ _PEEVES_!”

Instead of responding, Peeves threw another water balloon at Alex and floated away, cackling like a maniac.

Alex and Maggie were both in shock, and less than thrilled about their encounter with Peeves.  Alex was, well, peeved.  The poltergeist was always a nuisance and loved to get under her skin whenever she was on patrol.  He always knew the best way to get under her skin.  Alex was pissed, she was annoyed, she was…freezing.

A chill ran down Alex’s spine and sank through to her bones.  Peeves had aimed the brunt of his assault toward Alex; she was completely soaked, while Maggie only received a splash of water on her feet.  Alex shivered again, which caught Maggie’s attention.  She had still been glaring down the hall in Peeves’ general direction.

“God, you’re sopping wet,” Maggie frowned and rushed to Alex’s side.  “Here.”  She removed her coat and put it over Alex’s shoulders.  “It’s chilly in here.”

“Th-thanks,” Alex muttered.

“We should get back,” Maggie said.  “You can change and warm up by the fire.”

“G-good id-dea.”  Alex’s teeth chattered and her entire body felt like an icicle.

But then, Maggie’s hand took her own and led her downstairs, past the basement, into the dungeon, and right up to the wall of the Slytherin common room.  “Get inside, Danvers,” Maggie said.  “I’ll see you later.”  Maggie stepped closer and pressed her warm lips to Alex’s frigid cheek, squeezed her hand tight, and walked away.

Alex, dazed and confused, couldn’t find the words to say anything as she watched Maggie walk away.  Alex didn’t know how long she stood there, but eventually she muttered the password in her daze and stumbled into the common room where she found Lucy still waiting up for her.

Lucy looked her up and down, and quite a sight it must have been: dripping wet, still wearing Maggie’s coat, and a blush that colored her pale cheeks.  “What happened to you?”

“I—there was Maggie—and then Peeves came—and Maggie gave me…” Alex gestured to the coat and trailed off with a sigh.

“Okay, that explains the water and the coat, but not the stupid look on your face.”

“She kissed me on the cheek.”  Alex sighed.  “We almost… and then Peeves came and I thought the moment was over, but then she…”

Lucy smiled, despite her normally hard exterior.  “So what was that thing about you totally not having a crush on Maggie?”

Alex glared, and Lucy laughed.  “Shut up,” Alex muttered, walking toward the dormitories.  “I’m going to bed.”

“Wait!” Lucy said, and pulled out her wand.  Alex stopped and turned toward her again.  Lucy muttered a spell and instantly Alex’s clothes were dry and her skin was warm.

Alex still frowned and turned around to leave again.  “Thanks,” she called out after she had disappeared from the room.  Lucy chuckled and followed after her.

 

 

 

The last week of school before winter holiday break felt like a blur.  Lucy eased up on practices while professors piled on the homework.  Alex didn’t even get a chance to return Maggie’s coat, let alone talk about the almost kiss that they almost shared.

Before Alex knew it, she had a suitcase packed and waited at Hogsmeade station for the Hogwarts Express to take her home.  Lucy’s dad was currently out of the country on assignment, so Lucy was staying at Hogwarts for the holiday.  “It’ll be nice to get some quiet,” she had said.  Kara had taken off somewhere with Lena because their other friend Winn was also staying behind.  This left Alex standing by herself at the platform as the horn of the train sounded in the distance.

“Fancy meeting you here, Danvers,” came a voice from behind.

Alex grinned and spun around.  “Maggie!” she said.  “Heading home for Christmas?”

Maggie nodded.  “It’s just me and my aunt, so she gets kind of lonely whenever I’m at school,” Maggie shrugged her shoulders and folded her arms over her chest.  “She’s also terrified of birds so owl post is out of the question, and my cell never works at the castle, so—”

“You have a cell phone?” Alex asked.

“Yeah,” Maggie said, and rummaged through her bag, pulling out a simple silver flip phone.  “She’s a muggle so she wants me to be able to talk to her.  I tried to explain that it won’t work near Hogwarts, but she always insists I take it regardless.”

“That’s so cool!” Alex exclaimed.  “Can I see it?”

“Sure,” Maggie shrugged.  She powered on the phone and handed it to Alex.  Alex flipped it open and the screen lit up.  She was so mesmerized, she didn’t even notice the train pull into the station.  Maggie grabbed Alex’s free hand and led her onto the train and into a compartment.

The screen of the phone glitched every few seconds and there was no service, but Alex was so intrigued by Maggie’s phone.  She sat down in the compartment while Maggie closed the door behind them and sat across from her, pushing every button, not even knowing what they did.

“My whole family is magic,” Alex explained, “so I don’t get a lot of exposure to muggle artifacts.  I’ve never even used one of these before!  How does it work?  They never taught us that in muggle studies…”

Maggie laughed at the confused frown on Alex’s face.  “Well there are these satellites that connect the phone to a network, which gives you access to talk to people all over the world.”

Alex’s brow furrowed.  “Okay, I understood about half of that.”  She flipped the phone shut and handed it back to Maggie, who giggled.

“You’re cute when you’re confused,” she said.

Alex blushed at her words, and realized this was the first time she has been alone with Maggie ever since they were so rudely interrupted by Peeves.  Alex cleared her throat, and bit her lip, wondering how to even begin this conversation that she so desperately wanted to have.

“Maggie, I—”

The compartment door flew open and Kara barged in, closely followed by Lena.  “Can we sit with you guys?” Kara asked with a huff.

“What’s wrong?” Alex frowned.

“Mon El was being—”

“A jackass,” Lena finished.

“Lena!”

“What?” she shrugged.  “It’s true.”

“What did he say?” Alex glared.  “Do I need to punch him again?”

“No, Alex, it’s fine…”

“Wait, you punched him?”

“ _Again?_ ”

Everyone spoke at once, then laughed together.

“Hey,” Maggie spoke up.  “You know, four is the perfect number for a game of exploding snap.”  She grabbed a deck of cards from her bag.  “Bought a few packs last time I was at Zonko’s.”  The girls excitedly gathered around as Maggie dealt out the cards.

Maggie lost once, and then Alex lost twice in a row.  Just as she started to lose feeling in her fingers from the tiny explosions, Kara fell asleep with her head on Alex’s lap.  They were nearing King’s cross anyhow, so it wouldn’t be much longer until they arrived.  Maggie flipped her phone open and began to tap away at the keys.

“What are you doing?” Alex asked.

“Texting my aunt,” Maggie said.  “Letting her know we’re almost there.”

“Texting?” Alex raised an eyebrow.

“It’s a message you can write on your phone that is instantly sent to someone else,” Lena explained.  Maggie looked at her curiously.  “My birth mother was a muggle,” she explained.  “The Luthors adopted me after she died, but I do know some muggle things.  And Winn and I like to tinker with muggle tech sometimes.  We’re trying to make a phone that works at Hogwarts.”

“That’s so cool!” Maggie said.  “Hook me up once you figure that out.”

Alex frowned.  “But how does it send _instantly_ without magic?”

Maggie got up and sat next to Alex, holding out her phone to look at.  “I’ve got my aunt’s phone number saved here, which can connect my phone directly to hers.  So I select to send a message like this,” she showed Alex how to select, and then began to type.  “And then write whatever you want.” She typed out, _Can’t wait to see you._   “And send it,” she hit the OK button and the message disappeared from the screen.  “It goes directly to my aunt’s phone.”

“Huh,” Alex muttered.

The device dinged a moment later, which startled Alex so much that she yelped and jumped out of her seat, successfully waking Kara.

“What time is it?” she mumbled, her voice groggy with sleep.

“It’s okay,” Maggie chuckled.  “That just means I received a message.  See?”

Maggie held up her phone again.  The screen read, _Love you, mija!_

“And your aunt wrote that?” Alex asked.  “Just now?”

“Yep,” Maggie said, popping the P.  Just then the train began to slow.  “Looks like we’re almost there.”

Alex peered out the window to find the platform fast approaching.  They collected their things and joined the other crowds of students waiting at the doors for the train to stop.  When the doors flew open, teenagers rushed out the door.

Maggie nudged Alex with her elbow as they walked onto the crowded platform.  “See you next year, Danvers,” she said, and disappeared into the crowd.  Alex waved goodbye, even after Maggie had left.

She spun around, looking for her sister or her mother.  Alex found Kara giving Lena a hug goodbye.  Lena then joined who appeared to be maybe an aunt or a family friend on the platform.  Lena didn’t seem too upset that her mother Lillian was not there to pick her up.  In fact, she gave the woman there in her mother’s place an excited hug; she seemed happy to see Lena as well.  At least one of the Luthors isn’t so bad, Alex thought.

When Alex finally found her mother waiting on Platform Nine and Three Quarters by herself, she felt an emptiness in her chest.  This was the first time she had ever come home from school to not be greeted by her dad’s smiling face.

She took a shaky step toward her mom, not sure if she had the physical or emotional strength to make it over without breaking down.

Eliza seemed to sense this; maybe it was magic, or her motherly instincts, but she rushed to Alex’s side and wrapped her arms around her daughter in a tight hug.  Alex cried into her shoulder.  “I know, sweetie,” she whispered into Alex’s ear.  “I miss him too.”

Kara found them like that, and she immediately joined their embrace.

It was weird being home from school without her dad there.  Alex thought, maybe she had convinced herself it was a bad dream, that her father would be waiting at home when they returned from school.  But the house was empty.  When they ate dinner, the empty seat at the table made the air heavy.  There was no longer the sound of Jeremiah’s heavy footsteps throughout the house.  His office was covered with dust.  Alex sat in his chare and if she breathed in deeply enough, she could almost still smell him.

Either that, or she would get a lungful of dust which caused her to cough up a storm.

Christmas morning came before Alex realized.  She slept in later than usual because her dad wasn’t there to wake everyone with his terrible renditions of their favorite holiday songs.

She crawled out of bed and found both Kara and their mother already awake, cooking breakfast together.  When Kara caught sight of Alex, she grinned.  “Merry Christmas, Alex!”

Eliza glanced up from the stove and offered her daughter a smile.  “You’re just in time for breakfast!”  She plated a few pancakes and handed them to Alex, then again for Kara.  “Shall we do gifts after?”

Kara squealed, then inhaled her pancakes and ran to claim an arm chair right next to the tree.

Alex liked giving gifts more than she liked receiving them.  She loved the look on Kara’s face when she opened the parcel Alex had painstakingly wrapped the week before (the paper cuts on her fingers were just starting to heal).  Kara unwrapped the parcel to find a brand-new pair of quidditch gloves, and her eyes shone with tears as she jumped across the room to hug Alex.  “Thank you, thank you!”

Alex laughed and patted her on the back.  “Can’t have my sister playing quidditch without a pair of kickass gloves,” she said.  “That’d be just plain embarrassing for both of us.”

“Alex, language.”

“Sorry mom,” Alex said and tossed her gift onto Alex’s lap.

Eliza laughed when she opened Alex’s gift to find soft socks, with a gripping charm on the bottom, as she had often been known to slip on their hardwood floors.

Kara knew that Alex wasn’t too fond of presents, so she just got her some delicious Honeydukes chocolates, which Alex was thoroughly appreciative of.

As Alex unwrapped the gift from her mother, though, her heart raced in anticipation.  Something about this felt…different.  She couldn’t describe it.  Alex tore away the paper and found a small leather-bound book with a blank cover.  She flipped through the pages to see familiar handwriting.

“Wh—what’s this?” she asked, voice caught in her throat.

“Your father’s work journal,” Eliza said.  “He has all of his thoughts, ideas, research on cases, in there.  I found them while cleaning out his office.  I know you want to be an auror, so I thought you should have them.”

Alex looked up at her mom.  “Them?”

“There’s three more,” she explained.  “In my room.  I’ll grab them for you.”

“Thank you,” Alex choked out.  She clutched the journal close to her chest and held it tight.

Suddenly, there was a tapping at the window as an unfamiliar owl tried to get in.  Alex spotted a small parcel tied to its foot.

Eliza made her way to the window and opened it.  The owl fluttered inside, landed on the counter, and stuck out its leg.  Eliza untied the package, freeing the owl, who took off after snatching a piece of bacon.  She read the name on the card and handed it to Alex.  “It’s for you, dear.”

Alex took the package and studied it with a frown.  It was a small box, wrapped with obnoxiously bright red and green paper.  She removed the card from the envelope and laughed when she saw a picture of a pug wearing a Santa hat.  She flipped the card open and read the message.

_Merry Christmas Alex!  I hope this gets to you in time.  Since you’re so intrigued by muggle tech, I thought this might rock your world for a bit, so to speak.  It’s loaded with some songs I think you’ll like.  If you can’t figure out how to use it, I can show you when we’re back at school, but I’m sure you’re smart enough to figure it out!   –Maggie_

“Who’s Maggie?”

“Alex’s girlfriend.”

Alex glared at her sister.  “She is not my girlfriend.”  She unwrapped the gift to find a white box that read ‘iPod’.  She opened it to find a small rectangle, and a tangled bundle of wires.

“What in Merlin’s name is that?” Kara asked.

“That’s an iPod,” Eliza said.  “I think it plays music, like a radio, but I’m not sure how it works.”

“Huh,” Alex gazed down at the device in her hands, intrigued as much by it as she was by the girl who sent it.  It did, however, present a dilemma: did she want to solve the puzzle of this iPod, or delve into the mystery that was her father’s journals?

She flipped through the journal again, saw her dad’s familiar scrawl, and caught sight of a passage toward the end.

_Auror Zor El and his wife – deceased.  Suspect – Lex Luthor.  Cause of Death – killing curse.  Notes – left behind one daughter, Kara, age 10._

Alex felt like she had just been stabbed in the gut.  Of course, she would probably have to relive some painful memories reading these.  Slowly, she closed the book.  The journals could wait.

It took Alex longer than she would ever admit to Maggie to figure out how to work the iPod.  Eventually she found where the wire can attach to the device, and that the buds at the end of it go in your ears, and how to make the music play.

It also took a while for Alex to psyche herself up for reading her dad’s journals.  She wasn’t sure if she was mentally or emotionally prepared for what she would find in them, but curiosity won her over eventually.

The journal read a bit like a textbook—devoid of most opinion or emotion, and only stating facts.  But it was in her dad’s writing, and it was the facts that he found important, which is what made it more personal.

Alex recognized some of the cases from stories he used to tell about his job.  There was that time she was fourteen and Kara was twelve, and he told them that he and his partner J’onn were hunting a dark wizard who kept sending dangerous dark creatures after them, he failed to mention that most of these creatures were Ministry of Magic Classification XXXXX.  How they managed to make it out of that one alive after facing a Chinese Fireball and a fully grown Acromantula, Alex would never know.

She devoured the first journal and finished it the night before they were to return to school.

They arrived at Platform Nine and Three Quarters bright and early the next morning.  It was a cold, snowy morning.  Alex and Kara loosened their scarves as they settled into a warm compartment at the back of the train.  The compartments slowly filled and the train grew abuzz with teenagers.  Their compartment door slid open and Kara’s face lit up.

“LENA!” she yelped, and immediately tackled her friend in a hug.  “I missed you!”

Lena laughed.  “I missed you too!  Did you have a good holiday?”

“The best!”

Alex didn’t even notice when Maggie slipped into the compartment as well.  “Did you get my gift?” she asked.  Alex grinned when she saw that Maggie had arrived.

“She’s been using it nonstop since Christmas,” Kara exclaimed.  “Won’t even let me try it out.”  She pouted.

Alex glared at her sister.  “That’s not true,” she said.  “And I have so let you use it!”

“For like five minutes.”

Maggie laughed.  “Glad you like it.”

“I just feel bad, though.  I wish you told me, I didn’t have anything for you.”

“It’s really not a big deal, Danvers,” Maggie said with a shake of her head.  “I’m sure you’ll find some way to make it up to me.”  Her flirtatious tone made Alex blush.  Kara giggled, and Alex elbowed her in the side.

“Ouch,” Kara muttered, but Alex only shot her another glare.  “So…did everyone have a good holiday?  Lena, what did you do?”

They spent the returning train ride catching up with each other over the break.  Every time Alex caught Maggie’s eye, they would both blush and look away.  She wanted a minute alone to talk to Maggie, but Kara was so excited and oblivious.  Lena bought them all cauldron cakes from the trolley, and they munched and laughed the ride away.

Returning to school after winter break was weird, because the train wasn’t quite as full and there were already students back at the castle.  There was no welcome feast, and it was all very mundane.  They arrived back at the castle.  Kara and Lena immediately ran off to the Great Hall for dinner.  Maggie lingered for a moment, eyeing Alex with a certain curiosity, wondering what their next move would be.  And Alex…is a coward.

She forced a yawn.  “Man, I’m so wiped.”

Maggie’s smile fell, only briefly, but Alex noticed.

“I think I’m gonna unpack and then sleep for like ten years.”

Maggie nodded, poker face on, but Alex could feel the disappointment.  “I’ll see you in class, then,” she replied, oddly formal, then turned around to head toward the basement.

“Hey Maggie,” Alex called after her.  “Thank you again, for the gift.  I really love it.”

Maggie’s shoulders relaxed.  “I’m glad,” she said.  They shared a small smile, and Alex gave her a nod.

Maybe Alex wasn’t quite ready to figure out what _this_ was, but she would be soon.  She just hoped Maggie understood that.

Eventually, Maggie continued toward her common room, leaving Alex glued to her spot as she watched Maggie walk away.  “See you around, Danvers.”

Alex retreated to her own common room and through to her dormitory, which she found empty.  Alex sighed, climbed into bed, and grabbed her dad’s next journal from her bag.  These books made Alex feel closer to her dad, and she liked still having a part of him to hold onto.  It was comforting.  She didn’t want to be stuck in the past, and although she wished for him back every day, she liked being able to appreciate his work in retrospect.

Alex fell asleep with her face smashed against the pages of the journal and her shoes still on her feet.

She woke in the middle of the night to find her shoes on the floor and her book on the bedside table.  Lucy was fast asleep in the next bed over, but Alex recognized Lucy’s bookmark tucked into the journal, marking her page.  Alex smiled to herself, then rolled over and fell back asleep.

 

 

Starting school again felt like someone pulled a rug out from beneath Alex, as she was suddenly overwhelmed once again.  Lucy’s incessant practice schedule resumed, and teachers seemed to be piling on even more homework.

Despite everything she had to do, Alex found herself spending more time in Professor J’onzz’s office after classes and over weekends, reading her father’s journals while he graded homework.  She would pipe up whenever she had a question about something she read or a case they worked together.  J’onn’s firsthand experience on some of these cases with Jeremiah proved insightful.

One Saturday evening, Alex found herself spending most of the afternoon and evening in his office.  She turned a page and found a newspaper headline clipped out of the Daily Prophet and pasted on the page: _LUTHOR AT LARGE AGAIN._ Her father’s notes scrawled beneath that.

_Date and time of escape – January 13 th, Friday, between 6PM and 11PM.  Last known location – Knockturn Alley.  Accomplices and theories…._

After that was two pages of notes, speculating the circumstances of his escape from Azkaban.  “I didn’t know dad was investigating Lex Luthor’s escape,” Alex muttered, mostly to herself.

“He was?” J’onn asked.  “That’s news to me.”  He stood from his desk and walked over to peer over Alex’s shoulder.  “I wouldn’t put it past him.  The man left no stone unturned.”  He skimmed the page.  Alex caught sight of the words _Lillian Luthor_ etched onto the pages.  “He thought Lillian might have helped?”

“Apparently,” Alex mused.

J’onn looked at his watch.  “Is it that late already?  Alex, you should get to bed.”

“It’s fine, I have patrol tonight,” Alex yawned.  She packed up her things and left J’onn’s office with a salute.

The castle was dark and quiet that night as Alex walked around, the tip of her wand aglow.  Even though she knew Hogwarts was one of the safest places in the world, it was still eerie when the halls were empty and quiet.  Her own footsteps echoed throughout.  The rustle of a ghost passing through a wall or the distant snores of a painting sent chills down her spine.

There was a clatter down the hall that startled Alex so much she jumped.  She held up her wand to where the noise came from to cast light over it, and found that Filch’s cat, Mrs. Norris, had knocked over a suit of armor.  Alex sighed and shooed the cat away.  She waved her wand and the suit was upright once again.

The moon outside shone brightly through the windows of the castle.  Alex checked her watch with a yawn; five minutes to midnight meant that it was just about time for her to head downstairs, back to her common room, and go to sleep.

As Alex descended the steps to the ground floor—she would have missed it had it not been such a quiet night—she heard the patter of footsteps and a fit of giggles.  Alex frowned and followed the noise.  She turned into an alcove beneath the stairs, raised her wand, and found Maggie and a girl with blonde hair pressed against the stone wall, grabbing each other’s robes, Maggie’s lips on her neck.

Alex felt a surge of anger rise inside her.  “Hey!” she called out.

The girl immediately jumped away from Maggie, surprised.  Maggie sneered in annoyance, but when she opened her eyes to find Alex glaring at her, she froze, almost embarrassed.

“What are you two still doing up?” Alex asked.  She straightened her shoulders and put on her best stern voice.

“We’re just hanging out,” the girl replied, her speech a bit slurred, not much, but just enough for Alex to notice.

“Darla, can it,” Maggie frowned.  Alex ignored her.

“Have you been drinking?”

“Only a little,” Darla explained.  “There was some firewhisky at the party tonight, and—”

“Party?  What party…oh.”  Alex realized, in the midst of reading her father’s journals, she had completely missed the Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw quidditch match.  “You guys won, I take it?”

“Creamed those losers!” Darla laughed.

Maggie, Alex noticed, was oddly silent.

“Look,” Alex sighed, “that doesn’t change the fact that you’re out well past curfew.  Get to bed before I have to give you detention.”

Darla pouted.  “Party pooper.”  She grabbed Maggie’s hand and headed toward the basement.  “Come on, Mags.”  Maggie didn’t move.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” Maggie said.  “Don’t wait up.”

Darla frowned, but disappeared down the basement stairs, leaving Alex and Maggie alone in an awkward silence.

Alex cleared her throat.  “I said get to bed.”

Maggie sighed.  “Darla’s just a friend,” Maggie tried to explain.

“Alex snorted.  “Yeah, it really looked that way a minute ago.”

“Why do you care?” Maggie snapped.

“I—I—” Alex couldn’t even stutter out a full sentence.  _Because I like you_ , is what Alex wanted to say.  _Because I thought you liked me too_.

Alex realized she wasn’t angry, she was hurt.  She thought Maggie liked her, and seeing that she just felt like an idiot.

“I had a good day, okay?” Maggie said.  “My team won and we’re going to the Quidditch finals, so we threw an awesome party, and I wanted to celebrate.  That’s it.”

“Well congratulations, I hope you had a great time,” Alex frowned.

“I did,” Maggie said, softer this time.  “And I wish you could’ve caught the match.  It was a good game.”

Before Alex could respond, Maggie turned on her heel and disappeared down the basement stairs, leaving Alex with those words.

Alex didn’t see Maggie again until the following Monday, out by the forest before class.  Maggie caught her eye as she arrived and bounded over.  “Hey, Alex,” she started, and nervously fidgeted with the sleeve of her robe.  “About Saturday night…I’m so sorry.  I was rude, and a little drunk, and I’m so embarrassed I—”

“Maggie it’s fine,” Alex said with a shake of her head.  “I had no right to be that upset with you.  We can just forget about it.”  Alex didn’t want to think about it, really.  She was extending an olive branch and hoped Maggie would take it.

“Really?” Maggie asked.  She looked at Alex curiously, who nodded.  “Okay, I guess,” she said with a shrug.

“So how’s Darla?” Alex asked, trying to be polite.

“I don’t know,” Maggie frowned.  “I haven’t really seen her since Saturday.”  Alex raised an eyebrow in question.  “We’re not that close,” Maggie explained.

Alex wanted to ask more, but before she got the chance, Hagrid cleared his throat to begin class.

Things went back to relative normalcy after that small tiff, but there was an odd tension that surrounded them now.  It was exhausting, Alex thought.  Maybe it was the pretending she didn’t have feelings for Maggie, or maybe she was spreading herself too thin with prefect duties and school and quidditch, and now that her dad’s journals have been thrown into the mix, Alex barely had time to think.  Alex and Maggie began their weekly study sessions again, though Alex didn’t do much studying these days.  She spent most of her time reading her dad’s journals, each case more enlightening than the next.

Slytherin won their next quidditch match, securing them a spot in the final match against Hufflepuff.  Lucy was over the moon about.  Alex had never seen her best friend, intimidating and uptight Lucy Lane, as drunk as she was that night after the match.  Alex, on the other hand, didn’t drink much and spent most of her time taking care of Lucy and making sure she wasn’t too rowdy.

Once the party cleared and everyone was passed out in their own beds, Alex was too wired to sleep.  She grabbed her dad’s journal from her bedside table and tip-toed out to the common room to read by the light of the fire.  She was on the last journal and didn’t want it to be over; she didn’t want to have to let go of yet another part of her father, but Alex couldn’t seem to stop reading.  Every new case was a new adventure.  He wrote about having to use Polyjuice potion to infiltrate an amateur gang of dark wizards, or the time he transfigured himself into a duck to spy on a fellow auror they believed had turned.  He was caught, jinxed, and ended up stuck as a duck for two days.

Alex remembered when her mother informed her that dad would be out of town for a couple of extra days last year.  When he came back, every time he laughed too hard, he would quack.  Sort of like how some people snorted while they laughed, her father new quacked.  Alex smiled to herself at the memory.

The sky outside had begun to turn an ugly brown color that it becomes just before dawn, when Alex came across her father’s next interesting breakthrough regarding the mysterious escape of Lex Luthor.

_I received an anonymous tip that Lillian orchestrated Lex’s escape and has been assisting him ever since.  I’m not sure who knows I’ve been investigating this, nor how trustworthy the source is, but it will be looked into regardless._

Alex frowned.  Lillian Luthor may be behind it all?  She could buy it.  There was a note taped to the page, that read _To help with your investigation: look into Lillian Luthor_.  Alex frowned.  She turned the page to find more on the same subject.

_After some digging I have found a remote residence loosely tied to Lillian that has reportedly shown activity in the months since his escape.  Working groundsperson and recent deliveries have been reported.  More to follow._

Alex found an address in Wales scrawled on a post-it note on that page, and a trail connecting it to Lillian Luthor.

The next page was filled with hasty scratchings of a quill, almost illegible.  Alex squinted at the letters in attempt to read them.

_Found Lex meeting with Lillian.  I believe I was compromised.  Managed to photograph evidence before I apparated away and must get my family to safety at once._

Alex turned the page once more to find two small photographs, shoddily developed and with minimal movement.  The first was of Lex and Lillian speaking outside of a small wooden shack, and a second photograph of them turning to notice the camera.  There was no writing on this page.

Alex flipped through the next few pages, which were blank.  She tore through the rest of the notebook to find the rest of it completely empty.  This was his final entry.

Alex’s heart thudded in her chest at the realization that what she was holding could potentially get rid of both Lex and Lillian Luthor.  Both of them, it seemed, were responsible for her father’s death.  She checked her watch—six thirty in the morning.  As Alex glanced up, she noticed that a handful of Slytherin’s early risers had already begun to fill the common room.  Alex leapt out of her seat and ran out of the common room, across the entryway to the basement staircase, and down the corridor to the Hufflepuff common room.

She approached the stack of barrels in the corner tentatively.  “Shit,” she muttered.  Alex knew _where_ the Hufflepuff common room was, but she wasn’t completely certain about how to get inside.  “Okay,” she said to herself.  “I think it’s this barrel and you tap it with your wand?”  She wasn’t sure, but it was her best guess.

Alex drew her wand and tapped the barrel.  Something audibly shifted, and Alex was relieved for a moment that she was correct.  But suddenly, there was a buzzing noise and liquid shot out from somewhere, covering Alex head to toe.  It smelled like vinegar.  “Really?!” Alex groaned.

Just then, one of the barrels swung open and someone crawled out of it.  Alex couldn’t even see past them into the common room.

“Alex?”

She groaned again.  Of _course_ Maggie would find her like this.  A few others climbed out after Maggie, including Kara.

Kara took one look at her sister and burst into a fit of laughter.  “Oh man,” she chuckled.  “I heard about the vinegar but I’ve never actually seen it!  What are you doing here?”

“Not here to see me, I hope.  We’ve got practice,” Maggie joked.

“No, I—I’m not here for you,” Alex replied, a little too quickly.  Maggie only looked a little hurt by her words, but now wasn’t the time for that.  “I’m here for Carter.”

“Carter?”

“Me?”

As if on cue, Carter Grant climbed out of the entrance, face scrunched in confusion.

“Too bad,” Maggie said, “we have practice.”  She began to walk away.

“Maggie, wait,” Alex sighed.  “I promise this is important.  I just need to talk to Carter for two minutes.”

Maggie tried to keep her face hard, but at Alex’s pleading look her eyes softened.  “You have two minutes,” Maggie said.  “Carter, just get your ass to practice as soon as you’re done.  And Alex…” Maggie looked her up and down.  “You might want to take a shower.  That defense mechanism works a little too well.”  She offered a small smile.

Alex waited until the team disappeared around the corner to turn to Carter.  “Hey,” she started.  “I don’t know if we’ve officially met.  I’m Alex.”

“I know,” he shrugged.  “Look, if this has to do with my mom, I can’t just—”

“Carter, I know you have no reason to trust me but this is really important, and I think your mom can help me.”  Alex dug through her bag to retrieve the journal she had just been reading.  “It’s about Lex Luthor.”  Carter’s eyes grew wide with fear, and Alex knew she had his attention.

 

 

The next week, Alex found herself walking down the dirt road to Hogsmeade alone.  At the bottom of her bag sat the notebook that held all the answers, and Alex clutched the strap tightly to herself like a lifeline.

The early spring air was crisp, and students were abuzz with energy from the sunshine.  Alex, on the other hand, was ridden with anxiety.  Meeting with world-famous journalist and editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet was not an easy feat.  Alex was just relieved that Cat Grant would do pretty much anything for her son Carter, including meeting with some random kid at the dingiest pub in Hogsmeade.

Alex stared at her feet, step after step, trekking through the village toward the furthest downtrodden back path where The Hog’s Head was located.  She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn’t even notice someone until she had already bumped into them.

“I’m so sorry,” Alex fumbled, “I didn’t even notice—”  She looked up and found herself face to face with Maggie’s grin.

“Fancy meeting you here, Danvers.”

“Maggie, h—hey.”

“You blew off our study session last week,” Maggie frowned.  “And the week before.  What gives?”

Alex cursed under her breath.  “I’m so sorry Maggie, it completely slipped my mind.”  Alex brought a and to her forehead and shook her head.

Maggie shrugged, and then that dimpled smile was back.  Alex felt weak.  “You can make it up to me.  Buy me a butterbeer?”  She jerked a thumb over her shoulder toward The Three Broomsticks.

Alex’s face fell.  “I can’t.”

Maggie pursed her lips.  “Okay, no butterbeer.”

Alex shook her head.  “No, I just mean—”

Maggie gave a stiff shrug.  “It’s fine.”

Alex glanced down at her watch and saw that she was running late.  “I’m so sorry Maggie, I have to go,” she said, and took off with no further explanation.  Alex wanted to look back, but one more glimpse of those dimples and Alex knew she would never make it to her meeting with Cat Grant.

Alex pushed open the creaky door of the Hog’s Head, and dust sprang up from the floor as her footsteps echoed in the room.  The place was empty except for a single blonde head buried in a book at a table in the back corner.  Alex took a deep breath, walked up to the table, and sat down.

“Miss Grant,” Alex said.  “Thank you so much for meeting me.”

“You’re late,” Cat muttered as she slowly closed her book.  “This had better be good, Allie.”

“It’s Alex,” she frowned.

“We didn’t come here for pleasantries,” Cat rolled her eyes.  “What in Merlin’s name was so important that Carter couldn’t tell me what it was through post?”

Alex took out her father’s journal and placed it on the table.  “My father was Jeremiah Danvers.  He—”

“Yeah, renowned auror, killed by Lex last year, I know the drill.  One of my employees already wrote about it, hon.”

“Did you know he was investigating the escape of Lex Luthor?”  This seemed to catch Cat’s attention.

“Go on,” Cat replied with a raised eyebrow.

Alex began to flip through the pages.  “Apparently, he’d been looking for him ever since his escape, when he killed Zor El,” Alex explained.  “He didn’t have any breakthroughs until he received an anonymous tip, that led him to finding….this.”  Alex opened to the page with the photographs and slid the book across the table to Cat so she could have a better look.

Cat reached into her purse and retrieved her glasses case.  She took out her glasses and put them on, picking up the book and squinting at the page.  “ _That’s_ interesting.”

“It was last summer so the address is probably vacant by now,” Alex continued.  “But he is definitely working with Lillian and that can help us find him, right?  And she’s guilty too, right?”

“Now, Amy, just a few pictures does not a criminal make,” Cat responded.

Alex frowned.  “But—”

“I’m not finished,” Cat huffed.  “This is good.  I can send this to a friend of mine, a trusted auror contact I have.  If this helps the case, he’ll be sure to give me an exclusive on how this investigation plays out.  He does like me far more than that Skeeter woman.  I can’t guarantee anything will happen, but this is some promising information.  Good job.”

“Thanks.”  Alex sighed.  “When will I know?  If it worked?” she asked.

“These things can move pretty quickly,” Cat said.  “If you don’t mind me taking this, I can get it to him before the end of the day.  After that it’s out of my hands.”

“W—will I get it back?” Alex asked.  She looked at the journal with a frown.

“If this plays out,” Cat said.  “I’ll do my best to get it back to you.”

“Okay,” Alex sighed.

Cat stood up from the table.  “We’ll be in touch, Angie,” she said, and disapparated on the spot.

“It’s Alex!”  Alex leaned back into her chair.

“How many times do I have to tell that woman not to disapparate inside my shop!” a voice grumbled from behind the bar.  Alex looked up to see an older man, grumpy, shaking his fist at the spot Cat Grant used to stand.  “I’m tired of her using my bar as a meeting spot that’s off the beaten path!”

“Sorry, I’ll—I’ll go,” Alex muttered, gathering her things.

“Oh yeah, that’s fine, just leave without buying anything. Why wouldn’t that be okay?”

Alex hastily stood up, grabbed her bag, and backed up out of there.  “Sorry, sir,” she muttered, and took off out the door.

Alex shoved her hands in her pockets and strolled through the village.  She could stick around for a little while, get some sweets from Honeydukes.  As she passed the Three Broomsticks, she glanced through the window to catch a glimpse of Maggie, laughing with her friend M’gann.  She could go inside, apologize, have a drink with her.

Alex couldn’t bring herself to do that.  The next days or weeks or however long it took would be a waiting game, and Alex just wanted to get out of there.

She journeyed out of the village and back to Hogwarts castle.  Lucy was in the common room, working on an essay.  “Hey,” she called when she saw Alex come in.  “Short Hogsmeade trip today?”

“Not much to do.”

“No Maggie?” she asked.

Alex shrugged.  “Not today.”

Lucy frowned, and condensed her papers and books that she had spread out all over the table, clearing a spot for Alex.  She patted the spot across the table.  “Come on, I know you haven’t finished that Transfiguration essay yet.”

Alex rolled her eyes.  “Yeah, yeah.”  She retreated to the dormitories, but emerged a minute later with some parchment paper, a quill and ink, and a couple of textbooks.  Mindless homework with her best friend—that would get Alex’s mind off everything.

 

 

It didn’t take long for all of Alex’s questions to be answered.  As the owl post arrived Monday morning, the Great Hall was filled with nervous whispers and hushed gossip.  Alex sat, obliviously reading ahead in her potions textbook, until her owl dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet on her plate.  The front-page headline read: _LUTHOR INCRIMINATED._

Alex pulled her paper closer, and saw that the article was written by none other than Editor-in-Chief Cat Grant herself.  Alex’s heart raced as she began to read the article.

_In light of new evidence in the case of Lex Luthor’s escape, Lillian Luthor has been arrested for aiding and abetting her son, a convict, and her campaign for Minister of Magic has been suspended.  The recently discovered work journal of Jeremiah Danvers, one of the younger Luthor’s victims, proves that Lillian was in contact with Lex and at one time provided him lodging and supplies.  Pending further investigation, she may have even been involved in helping Lex escape from Azkaban.  Lillian was apprehended at six thirty this morning, and it is believed that with new evidence uncovered at the Luthor residence, the re-arrest of Lex will be soon to follow.  Lillian’s involvement with fugitive son Lex dates back even further than we anticipated…._

Alex couldn’t stop smiling at her paper.  Lillian was arrested, Lex was soon to follow.  Finally, there would be justice for her father’s death, and Alex didn’t just sit around doing nothing.  She would have made her father proud. She—

“Alex!”  Kara stormed down the aisle toward her sister, clutching a copy of the Daily Prophet in her hand, a crinkle in her brown and a frown on her face.  “This was you, wasn’t it?” she asked when she arrived closer and showed Alex the paper.  “You asked Carter to talk to his mom, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Alex said.  “There was proof that Lillian Luthor was helping Lex.”

“I know, but _Cat Grant_?” Kara said.  “You know she’s just going to make it into a story for people to gossip about.  Lena has it hard enough already because of Lex, and now people think she’s in on it too!  Someone challenged her to a duel just because her family sucks.  But Lena’s not like them, she—she’s better than them.”

“I know she is,” Alex frowned.  “But this was a chance to put away the guy who killed dad.  He killed your parents too, in case you forgot.”

“How could I forget?  At least you still have a parent!”

Alex groaned in frustration.  “Are you seriously mad about this right now?”

“No, of course not,” Kara sighed.  “I just think you could’ve done it differently.”

“Like how?” Alex asked with a glare.  “Waited until the right time?  Until after Lillian was already Minister of Magic?  After Lex killed somebody else?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Kara frowned.

“Then what did you mean?”

“Lena doesn’t have anyone now!  If she had some time to, I don’t know—”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference, Kara, and you know that.”  Alex snatched her paper and her bag from the table, and stormed out of the Great Hall in a huff.  She still had an hour before class, but didn’t want to stay cooped up in that dark musty castle, especially not when she was this frustrated.  She stomped outside, onto the castle grounds.

Alex stepped away from the stone floor at the entrance onto the soft, springy grass just past it.  She heard the patter of footsteps against stone from behind.

“Alex!”  Alex froze in her tracks at the sound of Maggie’s voice as Maggie caught up with her.  “You okay?  I saw you storm out of there.”

“You did?”

Maggie faked a smile and shrugged.  “Well, a lot of people saw.  You guys were kind of loud.  Everything alright?”

Alex shook her head.  “It’s nothing,” she sighed.

Maggie cleared her throat.  “I, er, saw the headline this morning,” she started.  “I don’t suppose you had anything to do with that?”

Alex chuckled.  Maggie knew her too well.  She felt bad about everything that had happened between them, knowing it was mostly her fault.  Alex was too damn focused on her father and those journals that she let her relationship with Maggie fall to the wayside, whatever it was.  She forgot their study sessions and missed Maggie’s last match and blew her off on Saturday, but here Maggie was, still concerned, still wanting to be there for Alex.

And Alex wanted to tell her everything.

“Do you want to go for a walk?”  She nervously bit her lip as she awaited Maggie’s response.  Instead of saying anything, however, Maggie took Alex’s hand and lead her down the dirt path to the lakeside.

So Alex spent the next hour telling Maggie all about her dad’s journals, his adventures, and eventually, his remarkable discovery.  She told Maggie about her meeting with Cat Grant and her fight with Kara, and Maggie just listened to every word.

“That’s pretty badass, Danvers,” Maggie said.  She crossed her arms over her chest, an impressed smirk on her face.

“You think so?”  Alex blushed at Maggie’s words.  She looked down at her feet and kicked a pebble into the water.

“Totally!  You busted one of the most dangerous dark wizards out there.”  Maggie nudged Alex in the side.  “That’s pretty impressive.”

“That was all my dad,” Alex said.

“But you helped.”

“And they haven’t actually found him yet.”

“But they _will_.”

“And Kara—”

Maggie grabbed Alex’s arm and pulled her back to a stop, then turned her around.  Alex looked into Maggie’s eyes, golden brown in the morning sun, and pursed her lips.  “Kara will come around.  She knows you did the right thing.”

Alex’s heart soared.  There was such a huge weight off her chest, and after the stress of this entire year, having Maggie here listening to her and supporting her like this made Alex feel content for the first time since before her father passed away.

“Maggie,” Alex started.  “I’m sorry… about Saturday and the quidditch match and the study dates I missed and—”

“Hey,” Maggie cut her off.  “I get it.  You’ve had a lot going on.”

Alex shrugged.  “So we’re cool?”

“Of course,” Maggie said reassuringly, and smiled that dimpled smile that made Alex’s heart jump and her palms sweaty and her cheeks flush.

“Maggie?” Alex repeated, more nervous this time.  “I, er—I’ve been thinking…” Alex anxiously cleared her throat; she could feel her heart hammering in her chest.  Maggie tilted her head curiously and fluttered her eyelashes and Alex’s face burned.  It was now or never.  “Do you maybe want to go on a date?” she blurted out.  “With me?  Friday, maybe?”

If she didn’t stop talking now, Alex knew she would keep rambling, so she left it at that and shut her mouth and anxiously awaited Maggie’s response.  She couldn’t even look at her.

“No can do, Danvers,” Maggie said lightly, and Alex felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach.  That is, until Maggie continued.  “At least, not until after quidditch finals on Saturday.  So I’m thinking Sunday and winner decides what we do?”

Alex felt a sudden surge of her competitive spirit return at Maggie’s words and her playful grin.  “You’re on, Sawyer.”

They shook on it, sealing the deal.  “I’ve got big plans for Sunday.  Hope you’re up for it,” Maggie teased.

“I hope you’re okay with saving that idea for another date, because I think I know what we’re going to be doing instead,” Alex quipped.

Maggie laughed and glanced at her watch.  “Looks like we’re late for Care of Magical Creatures.”

“Oh, darn,” Alex said sarcastically, and leaned lazily against a nearby tree.  “That’s too bad.”

“Didn’t peg you for a cutter, Danvers,” Maggie laughed.

“I’m not, but I’m having a good time,” Alex said.  “Aren’t you?”

“Hm,” Maggie mused.  “I suppose.”  She stepped up in front of Alex, close enough that Alex was lightly pressed against the tree.  Her breath caught in her throat.  “I can think of more interesting things we could be doing,” she muttered, leaning in a little closer.  “Can’t you?”

Alex’s eyes flicked down at Maggie’s lips very briefly.  “Uh-huh.”

Maggie smiled, soft and small, and leaned in.  Alex’s eyes fluttered shut.  She could feel her heart pounding in her ears.  Maggie’s nose brushed against hers, and she felt Maggie’s breath on her lips as she said, “Race you to class.”

“Huh?”

Before Alex could even open her eyes, Maggie took off running.  Alex groaned in frustration, but took off running after her.  “I hate you!” she called after Maggie.

“Uh-huh,” Maggie replied.  “Sure you do.”

Alex shook her head, but she couldn’t help but smile.  She definitely did not hate Maggie Sawyer.

 

 

 

For once, Lucy didn’t have the entire team up at the crack of dawn the morning before a match.  Most people were up and in the tent bright and early regardless, due to nerves and inability to sleep.  Alex was one of those people.

She was nervous about the Ministry finding Lex Luthor.  She was nervous about the match.  She was nervous because she still hadn’t spoken with Kara.  She was nervous about her date with Maggie.

 _Maggie_.

She had only told Lucy about their date, and upon hearing the news, Lucy punched Alex in the arm (“Ouch.”) and proceeded to congratulate her (“Finally you got the balls to ask her out!”).

Needless to say, Alex hadn’t gotten much sleep all week.

Her breakfast that morning consisted of a slice of toast, a cup of coffee, and the feeling of overwhelming dread.

When Lucy finally huddled up the team right before the match, everyone was brimming with energy and anticipation of what was sure to be an excellent game of quidditch.

“We’ve had a great year,” Lucy started.  “I know we had a rough start, but we got past that.  You trusted me and I trusted you all, and you haven’t let me down nearly as much as I thought you would.”

“Hey!” someone grumbled.

“Not right now, Davis,” Lucy hushed him.  “We’ve worked hard for this.  You guys have got this.  Sawyer’s put together an excellent team out there, but we’re an excellent team too, and we’re going to go out there and kick some badger _ASS_!”  The team whooped and cheered and hissed (in true Slytherin fashion).

They lined up to head out to the field.  Alex gave Lucy a quick high five.  They mounted their brooms and took off.

Alex and the rest of the team did a customary lap around the field.  She saw the yellow robes doing the same across the field.

Alex flew directly to her position in front of the goal posts.  Nothing would throw her off her game today.

Maggie caught Alex’s eye as she flew to the center of the field to meet with Lucy, captain to captain.  She winked.  Alex smiled and saluted back at her.  Not even Maggie could get under her skin today.

“ _It’s a beautiful day for a quidditch match!”_ Winn’s voice boomed over the stadium.  “ _Today’s final is sure to be a nail-biter with undefeated Slytherin team going up against Hufflepuff.  Can the badgers redeem themselves?  Will the serpents prevail?  Have Sawyer and Danvers One finally resolved their sexual tension?_ ”

“ _Schott!”_

“ _Sorry, professor, that one just slipped through.  No more.  I promise._ ”

Alex shook her head.  She was going to threaten him so hard later he would probably wet himself.  She was looking forward to that.

“ _Any animosity between the two captains seems professional as Lane and Sawyer shake hands and take their positions._ ”  Alex watched Madame Hooch open the ball case and the bludgers flew out.  The snitch followed quickly after, and then immediately disappeared from her sight.  Alex was mighty glad that she never wanted to be a seeker.  She prefers holding her post and protecting what she can see over a fruitless search for something she can’t see.

“ _Look at that snitch go!  That’s a lie, I didn’t even see it.  I have astigmatism._ ”

Madame Hooch mounted her broom, quaffle under her arm, and took off.  She tossed the quaffle, blew the whistle, and the final began.

The quaffle changed hands almost too fast for Winn to comment on.  The teams were clearly evenly matched.  A few minutes in, a figure in yellow flew up to Alex.  Kara looked nervous.

“I’m sorry!” she shouted over the wind and the cheers of the crowd.

“You’re sorry?” Alex asked.

Kara nodded.  “I was a jerk and you were right!”

Suddenly, there was a Hufflepuff breakthrough as Brian beelined toward the Slytherin goalposts with the quaffle in hand.  “Is now really the time for that?” Alex asked as she darted past Kara to the left goalpost to stop the ball that Brian chucked toward the goal.  She caught it, of course.

“I know,” Kara said.  “It’s just been killing me all week!  I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner!  You did a great thing and I was being stupid.”

Alex threw the ball as far as she could and turned back to Kara.  “And you choose _now_ to tell me that?” she asked as she ducked under a zooming bludger.

“I know, bad timing, but… do you forgive me?”  Kara had the look of a kicked puppy on her face.

“Of _course_ I forgive you.  You’re my sister.”

Kara grinned.  “If we weren’t in the middle of a match I’d hug you right now!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alex laughed.  “Now get out of my way. I’ve got a match to win!”

“Not if we win first.  Love you!” she called as she zoomed away.

“Love you too.”

Alex was focused.  Alex was fierce.  Alex did not let one goal slip past her fingers.  Lucy would be proud of her once they won this match.  It was nonstop action, the quaffle changing hands, missed goals, close encounters with bludgers, and still no sight of the snitch.

Things began to heat up when Lord whacked a well-aimed bludger at Vasquez.

“ _Vasquez ducks out of the way of that bludger.  The posts are open.  Smythe has the quaffle, she goes in, and TEN POINTS SLYTHERIN!”_

Alex pumped her fist in the air in excitement.  Suddenly, a green streak soared across the field.

“ _Did Lane catch sight of the snitch?  She’s flying fast, she’s focused, she’s definitely following something!_ ”

Alex watched as her friend weaved through the stands.  She caught a glint of gold and knew they had this game in the bag.  She loved her sister, but Lucy was more experienced and a faster flyer.  Kara trailed behind Lucy.

“ _Danvers Two is close behind but Lane is not giving her an opening to catch up!_   _She’s just too darn fast_.  _Meanwhile, Grant has the quaffle and closes in on the goalposts.”_

Alex blinked and snapped back into the game.  Carter attempted a fake out that Alex saw coming from a mile away.

“ _And a spectacular save from Danvers One! The Slytherin keeper is on her game today.  Lane closes in on the snitch and it seems Hufflepuff doesn’t stand a chance.”_   Lucy rounded a corner and reached out her arm as she inched closer to the golden snitch.  Seemingly out of nowhere, a bludger bashed into the back of Lucy’s broomstick, spiraling her out of control.

“ _THAT BLUDGER FROM SAWYER MIGHT HAVE JUST PUT HUFFLEPUFF BACK IN THE RUNNING!”_ Winn gasped.

Alex scanned the field to find Maggie, bat over her shoulder, satisfied grin on her face.

Lucy quickly regained control of her broom and found Kara inching closer to the snitch.  She sped toward them, but Kara was almost within reach.  Kara let go of her broom with one hand.  Kara reached out her arm.  Kara’s leather-clad fingers closed around the snitch.

The crowd erupted into cheers.

“ _Danvers Two catches the snitch!  HUFFLEPUFF WINS!_ ”

Alex was sweating, and exhausted, and yeah, she had wanted to win, but she couldn’t find it in herself to be disappointed when her sister smiled like the sun and her eyes lit up like she had just found the solution to world peace.

The teams touched down on the field as Professor McGonagall brought out the cup and presented it to Maggie.  Two brawny Hufflepuff players lifted Maggie onto their shoulders as she kissed the cup and raised it into the air.  The crowd’s cheers rang through the stadium.  As soon as Alex touched down on the ground, she ran across the field, pushed past Leslie, and tackled Kara in a hug.

“Did you see that?!” Kara exclaimed.  “I wasn’t sure I could catch up and then I _did_!  I know Maggie helped, but I _did_ it!”

“That was a great catch,” Alex said as she patted her sister on the back.  “I’m proud of you.”

“Did you _see_ the look on Lucy’s face?!  She was— Lucy!  Hi!”  Kara turned bright red when the Slytherin captain walked up to her.  “No hard feelings?”

“Good game, kid,” Lucy held out her hand for a shake.  “You’re a great seeker.”  She was clearly disappointed, but she and Kara were friends, and Lucy was never one to be too prideful.  Instead of shaking her hand, Kara wrapped her arms around Lucy for a hug.  Lucy just laughed and returned the embrace.

“Little Danvers, this victory is just as much yours as it is mine!”  Maggie pulled Kara by the robes and handed her the trophy.  “Have a look at her.”

Kara grabbed the cup and studied it.  She looked like she was about to cry.

“Sawyer,” Lucy called.  “Good game.”  She stuck out her hand.

“You too, Lane,” Maggie replied.  She gave Lucy a small smile as she took her hand and gave a firm shake.

“Let’s do this again next year.”

“I’m in.”

Lucy made her way along to congratulate the rest of the Hufflepuff team on their victory.  They were surrounded by a sea of green and yellow, cheers, cries, screams, and more.  Maggie turned to Alex and gave her a dimpled grin.

Alex smiled back.  “Congratulations, Sawyer.  That was a great game.”  She held out her hand.

“Thanks,” Maggie said.  She grabbed Alex’s extended hand, and instead of shaking it, she pulled Alex close and kissed her.

For a moment, the crowd around them faded.  The cheers sounded distant in their ears, the crowd pushing into her seemed to freeze for a moment, the stench of sweat was gone and all Alex could smell, all she could taste, all she could feel, was Maggie.  Maggie’s lips against hers, Maggie’s arms around her neck.

And then it all came back in an overwhelming rush.  The cheers seemed louder, the crowd seemed bigger, but Maggie’s smile was all Alex could see.

“ _I guess they did resolve that tension after all._ ”

“ _SCHOTT!”_

Before Alex could speak, move, breathe, Maggie was whisked away by her team.  The cup was thrust into her hands again, and she was carried off the field.

Alex stood in a daze until Lucy punched her in the arm.  “Well _that_ was something, huh?”

She blinked as she watched Maggie be carried off the field.  “Huh.”

 

 

 

Alex slept in the next day, for the first time all year.  Sure, she still had a few essays left, and final exams were in two weeks, but she had been working hard and she _deserved_ a day to sleep in.  She eventually rolled out of bed around noon, dressed herself in jeans and a plain green t-shirt, and brushed her teeth.

The common room was mostly empty.  Alex saw the sun shining through the high windows and figured everyone would be outside on a beautiful day like today instead of inside studying.  Alex yawned, and figured she’d catch lunch at the Great Hall and then try to find Maggie.  What surprised her was to find Maggie standing outside waiting for her as soon as she left the common room.

“Hey,” Alex said, a small smile growing on her face.  “This is unexpected.”

“Do you have any idea how many Slytherins have sneered at me while I waited out here for you?  What, did you sleep all morning?”

“I’m so sorry, have you been here long?”

Maggie shrugged.  “Only like ten minutes.  I guess the wound is still fresh.”  She grabbed Alex’s hand.  “Let’s go.”

She dragged Alex off and they started to ascend the dungeon stairs.  “Wh—Maggie, where are we going?”

“On our date, silly.”  Maggie marched forward with determination.

“Right now?”

“Yep.”

Alex was not ready.  She could have put on something nicer.  She could have done something with her hair.  But Maggie smiled at her, and suddenly all of Alex’s worries disappeared, and she blindly followed Maggie outside the castle.

“So where are we going?” Alex asked.  She fell into step with Maggie, but didn’t let go of her hand.

“You’ll see,” Maggie said.

Hogwarts grounds are huge, and Alex figured Maggie wouldn’t take her too far out.  She saw Maggie clutching her bag tightly to her side.  She must have something in there.

Maggie led Alex down to the lake.  They walked along the water for a bit, until the castle was just barely out of sight, and then found a shady spot under a tree.  They stopped walking, and Maggie pulled a blanket from her bag.  She laid it out across the grass, sat down on top of it, and patted a spot next to her.  “Ta-da.”

“A picnic?”

Maggie blushed.  “Too cheesy?”

Alex shook her head.  “It’s perfect.”

Maggie grinned, then rummaged through her bag again.  “That’s good, because I want this to be perfect.  And to start off, this may not be date-material, but I think you’ll like it.”  She pulled something out of her backpack and hid it from Alex’s view.  “You ready?” she asked.

Alex nodded.  Maggie handed her a bundle of papers.  Alex unfurled it to find today’s Daily Prophet in her hands.  She raised an eyebrow in confusion, until she saw the headline: _LEX LUTHOR LOCKED UP AGAIN._

Alex gasped.  “They got him?”

Maggie nodded.  “They got him.”  Alex was so relieved she could cry.  “Whoa, you okay?”  She didn’t even realize that she had started crying.

Alex shook her head.  “I’m—I’m fine.”  She sniffled and wiped her eyes.  “Sorry, I—I just didn’t expect—”

Maggie put her arm around Alex and shushed her.  “Hey, it’s okay.  You did it.”

Alex sighed.  “I did, didn’t I?”

“You did,” Maggie said.  “And now, it’s time to celebrate.”  She dumped the contents of her bag onto the blanket: two sandwiches, various pastries, a bottle of pumpkin juice, and two cups.  “Bon appetite.”

Alex snorted at Maggie’s terrible attempt at a French accent.  “Say that again.”

“Nope.”

Alex grabbed a sandwich.  “Where’d you get this?  Lunch was just starting when I left.”

“Kitchen.”

Alex froze in the middle of a bite.  “Like the Hogwarts kitchen?”

Maggie had already taken a bit of her own sandwich and mumbled with a full mouth, “Uh-huh.”

“Why are you so chill about this?  How did you get into the kitchen?”  Alex poked Maggie in the side.

Maggie raised an eyebrow.  “Kara didn’t tell you?”

“ _Kara_ knows?!”

They munched on their food, chatting about everything that came to their minds.  Alex tried (and failed) to convince Maggie to tell her where the kitchen is.  She didn’t mind.  She knew she would be able to get it out of Kara eventually.  They had made their way through all the food until there was a single cauldron cake left.

“Split it?” Maggie suggested.

Alex took a sip of pumpkin juice.  “Sure.”

She broke the treat in half and handed a piece to Alex.  They munched in silence for a moment.

Eventually, Alex spoke up.  “Why’d you kiss me yesterday?”  That caught Maggie’s attention.  She tilted her head, silently asking Alex to elaborate.  “I mean, there were other times we could’ve…and um, we were supposed to go out today.  Why yesterday?”

Maggie pursed her lips and thought for a moment before she spoke.  “I would say it was an impulse, but it wasn’t,” she started.  “I was so happy, you know?  We won. And it wasn’t just me, my team played great, and it payed off.  When I held that cup, I asked myself, ‘What could possibly make this moment even more perfect?’  And then I saw you.”

Alex blushed, and when Maggie didn’t continue, she dropped the rest of her cake on the blanket, crawled closer to Maggie, and kissed her.  Her heart pounded just as much as it had the day before, and her palms were probably just as sweaty.  But Maggie tucked Alex’s hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek and kissed her back.

This kiss lasted longer than the one before that was quick and rushed and over all too soon.  Alex took her time, studied how soft Maggie’s lips were, how Maggie would shiver whenever Alex’s fingertips ghosted across the back of her neck, and how she gasped when Alex’s tongue tentatively brushed against her lips.

They broke apart eventually, flushed, breathing heavily, Alex practically sitting in Maggie’s lap.

“That was nice,” Maggie muttered.

“Uh-huh,” Alex agreed.

“We could do that again.”

“Uh-huh.”

Maggie surged forward and captured Alex’s lips again.

 

 

 

Alex grew used to seeing Maggie every day.  Holding hands in the halls on their way to classes, eating together, studying together.  They were “disgustingly cute”, as Kara put it.

Exams came and went in the blink of an eye, and soon enough, the Hogwarts Express was taking everyone back to King’s Cross.

As Alex looked at the people squeezed into the compartment with her, she wasn’t sure how everyone fit into just one tiny booth.  She and Maggie were squeezed into a corner next to Lucy and M’gann, while Kara, Lena, Winn, and James sat across from them.  They chatted about summer plans, laughed at jokes, reminisced about the year, and Maggie didn’t let go of Alex’s hand the entire way.

It was early evening when the scarlet engine pulled into Platform Nine and Three Quarters.  Friends said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.  Alex hugged James, and M’gann, and Lucy, and even Winn as they disappeared into the crowd.

Eventually, Kara and Alex caught sight of Eliza in the crowd.  Their mother waved and made her way over to the group.  Maggie and Alex shared a glance, and Alex gave Maggie’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

Kara turned to Lena.  “What’s so great about summer without my best friend?” she frowned.

“Actually, Kara,” Eliza said as she found her way to the group.  “Lena’s going to be staying with us this summer.”

Kara’s jaw dropped.  “What?!”

“Well, after everything that happened with Lex and Lillian, we were in touch and Lena technically doesn’t have a remaining legal guardian.  I offered to step in.”

“Are you serious?” Kara was about to cry tears of joy.

“I figured that, after everything, Lena deserved to be around some friendly faces.”

Kara turned to Lena and pointed a finger at her accusingly.  “And you kept this a _secret_ from me?!”

“It was so hard!” Lena said.  “I wanted to tell you every day.”

Kara hugged her tightly and the girls jumped and squealed with joy.  Alex laughed at them.

Eliza looked over and found Maggie and Alex; she noticed their joined hands and smiled.  “Mom,” Alex started nervously.  “This is Maggie, my girlfriend.”

Eliza wrapped Maggie in a warm, inviting hug.  “It’s so good to meet you, dear.”

Maggie chuckled.  “You too.”

“I hate to cut this short,” Eliza said, “but we really should be getting home.”

“Right,” Alex frowned.  She turned back to Maggie.  “So,” she sighed.  “Your aunt doesn’t like birds.”

Maggie laughed.  “Hey, don’t worry about that.  I’ll write you, I promise.”

Alex sighed in relief.  “Okay.  Good.”

“And maybe I’ll teach you how to use a phone,” she added with a wink.

“I’d like that,” Alex said with a small, halfhearted laugh.  This goodbye was harder than she thought it would be.

“Hey,” Maggie said when she noticed Alex’s somber mood.  She tilted up Alex’s chin with a finger.  “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Alex nodded.  “Okay.”

Maggie gave her a quick, soft kiss, squeezed her hand, and let go.

“Alex, let’s go!” Kara tugged at her sleeve.  Alex followed her sister, but turned around for one last look.  She saw Maggie hugging someone, presumably her aunt.  And then Maggie turned around and caught her eye again.  Alex smiled and gave one last wave.

Alex followed her family out of King’s Cross Station, Lena Luthor in tow.  Her father’s death a year ago had opened a void, and she still missed him.  She would always miss him.  But slowly, that void was being filled with new and unexpected relationships and family members.  Alex knew she would be okay.  She knew her dad would be proud of her.

On the ride home, Eliza asked, “So when can Maggie come visit?”

As soon as they arrived home, Alex rushed to her room and dropped her suitcases.  Sitting on her pillow was a parcel addressed to her.  She opened it and found her father’s journal with a note: _Thanks for the tip, Alex. –CG_

Alex smiled and set the book on top of her bookshelf, then sat down to write her first letter to Maggie, inviting her over as soon as possible.

Already, this summer was much better than last year.


End file.
